Courtship of Kagome
by arisu-the-pink
Summary: Finding the balance between his demon and human instincts in daytoday life is difficult enough. Why would it be any easier in love? Join Inuyasha and company for a lesson in courtship.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer:

Inuyasha growled from the wall where he was helplessly chained. "If you so much as touch a hair on Kagome's head or cause one tear to fall I swear I'll --"  


"Shut up, for once?" the author rolled her eyes at the enraged half-demon. "Just say the damn line and I'll give you some extra ramen at feeding time."

He cursed but complied, grounding out the line in annoyance, "the world of Inuyasha and it's characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. This sadistic wench is only temporarily kidnapping us. Now will you let me go?"

"No."

* * * * *

Prologue

"More ramen, Inuyasha?" Kagome held out a steaming Styrofoam cup of the noodles her hanyou friend adored. He grabbed them eagerly, spilling some of the boiling liquid onto the young miko's hand.

"Ouch! Inuyasha, you could try a little thing called 'patience,' you know."

He mumbled what the group could only guess was an apology and continued sucking back his dinner at great speed. Kagome shook her head in defeat and went back to her own dinner. "How much further is Kaede's village from here?"

"A half day, perhaps a little longer," answered Miroku as he stared at the round curve of Sango's rather tempting ass. "In a hurry?"  


Kagome nodded, "yes, Valentine's Day is the day after tomorrow and I'd like to go home for the class party."

"A party? What is Valentine's Day?" Sango looked up from Hiraikotsu at the mention of celebration just in time to catch Miroku's hand snaking its way toward her backside. She promptly smacked him away before turning her attention back to the fifteen-year-old beside her.

"It's a western holiday about love, celebrating the Christian saint Valentine."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Your people celebrate the Christian saints and prophets, Kagome? What of the Buddhists and followers of Shinto?"

"It's not really that religious," Kagome explained. "Mostly people use it as an excuse to buy gifts for loved ones and celebrate having those special people in their lives."

Sango sighed softly. "That sounds like a nice holiday."

"It's nicer when you have someone to share it with. If you're single then it can be a little depressing. My friends usually start complaining about it a week beforehand but I always like to see so many happy people that it doesn't bother me. Besides, I've been receiving secret valentines since I was ten, so I guess I have no room to complain." She blushed at the admission, hoping she didn't sound too pretentious.

"So you need to return for this celebration the morning after next?" Miroku asked her.

"Yes, though I'd like to get back sooner so I can buy some cards and candies for my friends."

"Keh! You act as though I'll let you leave." Inuyasha dumped his empty ramen container and folded his arms into his haori.

"And you act as though you have any say in the matter," Kagome shot back. "LET me leave. Ha!"

Inuyasha jumped up from his position on the ground and towered over her. "Yes, LET you leave. Fact is, I'm not planning on sticking around that shitty village for long. We're going back to get some supplies and then we're heading north. Sorry little girl, but no time for 'parties'".

Kagome drew herself up as tall as she could and glared back at him. "That's fine. You go north. I'm going home."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"NO.."

"YES."

"GRR!"

Kagome took a step back in shock when the hanyou's eyes narrowed dangerously. He leapt forward in response, grabbing her shoulders roughly. His claws pierced the skin and drew out small amounts of blood. Kagome winced at the prickling pain but stood otherwise still, awaiting his further ire. In the back of her mind she knew she was forgetting something --

"Fine, wench, go HOME. I want you out of my sight." He released her left shoulder and used the index finger of his free claw to draw a small but deep cut into her upper arm. Kagome's eyes filled with tears at the abuse. Inuyasha didn't notice the pain, instead pushing her back and bounding off into the forest at top speed.

Miroku caught Kagome before she fell into a ant hill behind her. He and the others stared after the half-demon in utter shock.

"What's gotten into him?" Shippou voiced their thoughts aloud. "He's never actually hurt her over going home before."

Miroku shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea."

But Sango knew, and she continued to watch the dark forest beyond in consternation.


	2. News from the West

Chapter 1

Thirteen trees had already fallen victim to the hanyou's rage. Number fourteen loomed ahead when an annoyingly familiar voice pulled Inuyasha out of his blind passion.

"Lord Inuyasha, I bring news from the West!"

Inuyasha grunted, but pulled back from the hapless tree and grabbed Myouga from flight. "What, flea?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru, demands an audience in the Great Hall of your father's castle."

"I'll pack my bags and set forth post haste," Inuyasha snorted sarcastically. "The dog's gotten lazy, huh? Instead of coming after me for Tetsusaiga, he expects me to bring it to him now?"

"Your brother is dying, Lord Inu--"

"Half brother," Inuyasha interrupted. "Wait, did you say 'dying'?"

The flea nodded as best he could, still squished between his master's thumb and index finger. "Yes, he was poisoned by Naraku's miasma."

"Naraku? What business did that fool have with Naraku?" Inuyasha released his vassal and brushed some wood chips off his haori. 

Myoga popped himself full again and cleared his throat. "Naraku sent that boy, Sango's brother, after his young charge Rin. I believe he was seeking revenge for the affront."

"Sesshoumaru wanted to avenge a human? Keh, I'll believe that when snow falls in summer." The hanyou pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath and began swinging it in graceful arcs, expertly removing single leaves from the trees that still stood in the clearing. "So what does any of this have to do with me, Myouga?"

Ducking as the fang sideswiped him, Myouga took a position on his master's shoulder. "The poison will not abate, Sesshoumaru will die within the month. You are the only other heir to your father's kingdom."

At this, Inuyasha stopped his practice and turned his head to consider the flea demon. "He wants me to come take over the castle? Okay, I give up, funny joke."

"This is no joke, Lord Inuyasha. Your brother may despise you --"

"The feeling is mutual."

"-- but he would rather leave his father's kingdom to family and he has no pup of his own. Those lands were always meant to be yours, Inuyasha. Inutaisho never intended Sesshoumaru to reign over them. This is your chance to honor the Great Inuyoukai."

"I suppose it won't kill me to take a side trip," Inuyasha finally agreed, "and if I remember correctly the castle is only three days walk from here. Maybe I should go alone…"

Myouga shook his head. "It would help the transition if you come with your own followers and mate. Those who live within the boundaries of your kingdom will need to see that you are a born leader."

"I don't have a mate," Inuyasha growled.

Raising an eyebrow, Myouga sniffed the air. "If I'm not mistaken, I detect the hint of Lady Kagome's blood upon your claws. Did you not make an intent claim upon the girl?"

The hanyou grunted. "It was an accident," he grumbled. "I didn't mean to mark her."

"You were following instinct," Myouga disagreed. "You are of proper age to take a mate, Lord Inuyasha, and so is she. You have little choice but to follow instinct. If you stall much longer in her presence, you may one day violate the girl."

"I know," Inuyasha whispered, "but that doesn't make it any easier."

* * * * *

Kagome was deep asleep in her sleeping bag as Sango added another log to the campfire. She wore an expression of concern looking upon the innocent girl whom she came to regard as dear to her as a sister.

"Sango-sama," Miroku took a seat beside the tajiya, wary of scaring the girl off. "You have been distracted ever since Inuyasha disappeared. Do you know something?"

She nodded slowly, not sure how much she could share with the lecherous houshi without betraying Inuyasha and Kagome's privacy.

"Well?"

"I'm not sure what I can tell you," she replied honestly. "Just this -- I believe our hanyou has come into his season, houshi-sama. His demon blood is crying out to take a mate and it will only get worse."

"Worse?"

Sango met his eyes with her own. "It depends on the type of demon. In my village we learned about the various traditions and rituals associated with the more powerful demon breeds as a matter of growing up. Inuyoukai mature in their eighteenth summer, give or take a year, and begin to go into a heat. It becomes top priority to find an appropriate mate and conceive a child, or at least attempt to do so. The actual birth of offspring isn't necessary."

"Inuyasha has chosen Kagome," Miroku realized.

"Yes, consciously or not, he has made an intent claim upon her."

"Intent claim?" The houshi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Their fight must have awoken his demon blood. That, coupled with his concern over this love holiday Kagome will be participating in, sent his instincts into overdrive. He felt it necessary to mark her as his mate to prevent other males from taking her."

"So what does this mean, exactly?"

Sango shook her head, glanced to check if Kagome was still sleeping, and then gazed back into the dancing flames before her. "I'm not sure, houshi-sama. I'm not sure."


	3. Setting Off

Chapter Two

The sun had barely risen when Inuyasha returned to camp the next morning. The first thing he noted was Kagome's absence. The second thing he realized was how much that relieved him.

"Inuyasha, we were getting worried." Miroku stood from his bedroll to acknowledge the wayward hanyou. "Hungry?"

"Did Kagome return home?"

"Yes, last night I sent her off with Kirara," Sango answered him, studying his face for a reaction and found only acknowledgement.

"Change of plans," Inuyasha finally announced after a moment of silence. "I have something to do in the West. I um, I have to meet with Sesshoumaru."

Miroku and Sango exchanged rather confused glances. "Sesshoumaru?"

"He's dying, and apparently he expects me to take over his place as Lord of the Western Lands." The nonchalance with which Inuyasha spoke these words belied his internal turmoil. He had no idea what to make of the situation.

"Huh." Miroku bit his lip in thought. "You know, I never really thought about it before, but I guess you are heir to a kingdom, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." The hanyou shuffled his feet, his discomfort growing more intense. "Anyway, I would go alone but Myouga seems to think it would make a bad impression."

Sango raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You don't actually plan to take on the title, Inuyasha?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'd rather search for the Shikon-no-Tama but there was a time when I envied my brother's position; and then there's the fact that it was my father's wish that I take his place when I came of age. I'm not sure I have much of a choice."

"When do we leave?" Miroku asked as he began to bundle his few possessions into his sleeping bag. 

"Right away, except I don't know what to do about Kagome…"

"I'll stay behind with Kirara," Sango quickly offered, "and you go ahead with Miroku. I know where to find the Western Kingdom on my own. We'll join you when she arrives."

Miroku smiled suddenly. "Yes, perfect, that will give us time for a man-to-man talk, my friend."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the houshi. "Man-to-man talk?"

"Not in front of the lady," Miroku loudly whispered. "I'm ready to go, shall we?"

Sighing, Inuyasha nodded. "Fine, but I'm not carrying you on my back."

"Fair enough! Good day, Lady Sango, and please be careful." Miroku grabbed his staff from a nearby tree and raced to follow the hanyou.

"I could say the same to you, Houshi-sama," Sango replied ruefully. "Man-to-man talk indeed."

* * * * *

Kagome smiled as she entered homeroom to find the predictable pile of gaudy valentines piled on her desk. The smaller ones she regarded quickly before stuffing them into her backpack. At the bottom of the pile she located a small, white, plushie dog with a cherry lollipop attached. Her heart stopped momentarily as she considered the possibility that Inuyasha had found his way to her time.

"Of course not, I'm an idiot," she berated herself when she recognized the handwriting of one Hojou-kun.

"Of course not what?" Eri came up behind Kagome, followed by Ayumi and Yuka. 

"Nothing," Kagome answered quickly, a blush forming on her cheeks. She added Hojou's gift to the small stack in her backpack before turning to properly acknowledge her friends.

"I'll bet Kagome was hoping to get something from her secret boyfriend," Yuka teased. 

"Oh, did he?" Ayumi was practically bouncing in excitement. "What did he give you?"

"Nothing, they don't celebrate Valentine's Day where he comes from." Kagome caught her mistake too late.

"Where DOES he come from, then?" Eri cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"What I mean is, he doesn't believe in celebrating Valentine's Day." The miko was spared further embarrassment by the ringing of the first bell. "You guys are going to be late, I'll see you at lunch!"

Kagome blushed a deeper pink as her friends walked off, Eri mumbling "at least she didn't deny having a secret boyfriend this time…"

The day was otherwise uneventful. Kagome rushed home after the last bell to avoid further questioning from her well-meaning entourage. Entering the kitchen she sought out her mother's first aid kit and sat down to change the bandage on her left arm.

"Oh, hello honey," Mrs. Higurashi relieved herself of a bag of groceries and came to the table to sit beside her daughter. "Let me help you with that. I still don't quite understand how you got such a deep gash on your arm from a twig…"

"I was just being clumsy," the girl lied.

"Well you should be more careful, dear. This one is definitely going to leave a scar, even with the first aid cream we used."

Kagome idly wondered if that hadn't been the point. But why?

"Are you going back today?"

"Yes, mama. I just need to gather up some supplies."

The older woman smiled. "Already ahead of you." She pointed to the bag she'd abandoned. "Ten packages of ramen and two bars of chocolate for your little fox friend." She taped up the gauze on her daughter's arm and sat back. 

"You're the best, mama. I'm just going to run upstairs to change into something warmer. February is too cold to be running around in this school uniform." With a quick hug for her mother, Kagome bounded up the stairs. Fifteen minutes later, she was in feudal Japan.

* * * * *

"Sango-chan!" Kagome pulled herself out of the well and was surprised to see the older girl waiting for her. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly. We have to hurry to catch up with the boys." She pulled Kagome by the arm gently and smiled. "Inuyasha was called to his father's kingdom to speak with Sesshoumaru."

"WHAT?!"

Sango laughed. "Yes, that was our reaction as well, though perhaps not as loud." She led the girl to Kirara and indicated Kagome should hop upon the cat demon. "Sesshoumaru was poisoned by Naraku. He hates Inuyasha but among demons, sibling rivalry must take second to protecting the family honor. If he dies without a proper succession of power, then any demon with eyes for the Western Kingdom can, and will, set out to take it over."

Kagome's eyes widened at the influx of information she was getting. "So what you're saying is… is what?"

"Sesshoumaru wants to groom Inuyasha to become the leader of the Western Kingdom; and it seems Inuyasha is going along with it."

"How far behind are we?"

Sango looked up into the sky and noted the position of the sun. "They left early morning yesterday, but they were walking. With Kirara I believe we will overtake them in half a day. That is, unless we camp for the night. How do you feel, Kagome-chan?"

"I think I'll be okay," she answered. "I got a lot of sleep last night."

"All right then, we'll try to hurry."

Kirara gracefully took to the air, the afternoon sun beckoning the trio.


	4. Odd Behaviors

Wow… so many reviews so fast! I'm stunned. Thrilled. Ready to write more!

Looks like this mini-monster will be twelve to thirteen chapters long. I can't promise to update so quickly in the future as I *do* have a full-time job that needs my attention. But I promise to try :-)

Chapter Three

"I need to take a piss."

Miroku snorted a laugh at his companion's lack of tact. "It is late, we should probably eat some dinner and get some sleep."

Inuyasha nodded and sauntered over to a bush. "I'd keep going but I don't expect you to be able to keep up."

"Yes, because I'm just human, right? I got news for you Inuyasha -- another week and you'll be just as 'weak' as me."

The hanyou looked up from his primary occupation to see the last quarter of the moon shining down on him. He grunted his dissatisfaction and replaced his clothing. "Yeah well, as long as I can take care of my family business before then, I don't care."

"Speaking of business --" Miroku glanced quickly at the hanyou, judging his mood to be neutral. "-- might we take a moment to speak of Lady Kagome?"

"What about her?"

Miroku piled some kindling into a small pyre and walked toward a tree to grab some twigs. "I'm no expert in demon relationships," he began carefully, "but I'm told that intent claims are rather serious."

Inuyasha, who'd been chopping branches for their campfire, froze at Miroku's words. "Who said I claimed Kagome?"

"You forget, we travel with an expert demon exterminator."

"Sango."

"Yes. Lady Sango was more than a little concerned by that little 'love scratch' you left on Kagome."

"Keh!" Lifting Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha resumed chopping firewood. "She was asking for it, baiting me like that."

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Miroku took a seat beside his handiwork and watched the hanyou's labors. "Funny, I never saw you purposely injure her before; and the two of you fight just about every day."

He'd finally chopped enough firewood for the night, but Inuyasha continued to chop away, eagerly avoiding the houshi and his nosy questions. 

Miroku was having none of it. "Well?"

Inuyasha growled. "I didn't mean to do it."

"So you don't want to mate with Kagome."

"No. Well, not exactly."

"Because you know if you don't want her, then I might consider --"  


Quick as lightning Miroku found himself nose to nose with a very irate inuhanyou. "You might consider WHAT, Bouzou?"

"So you do care for the girl."

Inuyasha tamped down his anger and sat back. "Of course I care about her. I wouldn't be so protective of her if I didn't care."

"Then why deny your claim on her?"  


"I don't know. I guess I'm not sure taking Kagome as a mate would be the best thing for her." He pushed some of the firewood he'd chopped onto the fire and reached into his haori for one of the magical firesticks Kagome brought from her world. Striking it onto the rough surface of its container, he set the pile of wood ablaze and then leaned back onto his forearms to admire his achievement.

"Because of Kikyou?"

Kami, would the damned houshi never give up? "No, not Kikyou. She's not even a viable option. She's dead."

"Then because she comes from another world?"

"Baka, is this going to be the topic of conversation for the entire night? If it is, warn me now so that I can leave."

Miroku sighed in defeat. "All right, but just answer me one more question?" When Inuyasha remained still, he took it as assent. "Are you going to let this go on until you do something you regret? Your desires won't simply disappear with time, you know."

"I won't hurt Kagome," Inuyasha answered, a fire from within burning in his eyes. "I'll never hurt Kagome."

* * * * *

Sango yawned and felt her eyes getting heavy. "Kagome-chan, I think we may have to stop for the night after all."

"Hai. I'm a little tired myself."

The tajiya noticed a small cluster of lights in the distance and directed Kirara to follow them. "That should be a village over there. Let's see if they would be so kind as to put us up for the night."

The people of the village were more than gracious, providing the two ladies with a small meal and a room in which to lay their sleeping bags. As Kagome pulled her bedroll from her bag, a dozen pink and red valentines flew out around the room.

"What is this?" Sango tentatively reached for the nearest paper. "Bee mine?"

Kagome blushed and laughed. "It's a valentine. Remember that holiday I told you about?" When Sango nodded she continued. "The stores sell these silly little cards for people to give each other. Most of them are pretty corny, like that one. Some of them are actually kinda sweet."

"Your people have such strange courting rituals," Sango breathed as she picked up another card. After looking to Kagome for approval, she read it. "Roses are red, violets are blue, you have a cute ass and I'd like to date you." Sango's eyes widened as large as the full moon.

"Ha ha, I think I know who gave me that one. Don't worry, it's just a joke."

"You may want to hide those from Inuyasha," Sango noted.

Kagome gathered the wayward cards and stuffed them back into her backpack. "Why? It's not like Inuyasha wants me to be his girlfriend or anything. He has Kikyou, right?"

"Inuyasha has always been jealous of other men, you know that."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well it's hardly fair considering he's not exactly committed to me."

Sango had to literally bite her tongue. Kagome didn't understand what the mark on her arm represented, and it wasn't her place to tell. "Perhaps, or maybe he just isn't ready to tell you his feelings. Inuyasha has had to grow up quickly. Maybe he's just waiting for the right time to commit to you."

"Or maybe he's just waiting for Kikyou to come back to him for longer than twenty minutes," Kagome snorted. She shook her head in self-disgust. "I shouldn't have said that."

Sango yawned again, prompting a light laugh from Kagome. "Yes, I agree. Let's go to sleep so we can get started early."

"Good night, Kagome-chan."

"Night Sango-chan."


	5. A Kimono for the Concubine

Note about the impending death of Sesshoumaru:

I know a few of you would prefer I keep him alive but I am concerned that doing so would weaken the story's premise. Two things I'd like to note: 1) I have every intention of making it a touching scene. I will not simply write "…and Sesshoumaru died and there was much rejoicing." 2) If it bothers enough people, I may consider writing an alternate ending in which his life is preserved, however it will be *alternate*, meaning that it is not the true story.

Onward!

Chapter Four

Inuyasha was relieved to find Kagome wearing a long-sleeved sweater when she and Sango finally met up with him and Miroku. He'd been dreading the reminder of the pain he'd inflicted upon her, moreso the meaning behind it.

"Good timing," Miroku commented cheerfully. "We shouldn't be more than an hour or so away from the borders of Inuyasha's kingdom."

"Yes, perhaps we should take a small break, Lord Inuyasha," Myouga piped up from his perch on the hanyou's shoulder.

Inuyasha growled. "Another break? What's with you people?"  


"You misunderstand, Milord. We must go over some matters of propriety before entering the Western lands."

"Propriety? You're worried about OUR behavior?" Kagome shot an amused look at Inuyasha. "If anyone here needs etiquette lessons I'd say it's your 'master' over there."

The flea couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him, but was quickly silenced by a squeeze from the aforementioned half-demon. "Yes, well, Lord Inuyasha has been away from his father's kingdom for quite some time, and the residents of those lands will be looking for any excuse to reject him as a leader. Your role here is more significant than comrade."

Sango hopped down from Kirara and fastened hiraikotsu to the demon cat's back. "What do you mean?"

"I am Lord Inuyasha's only servant," he began slowly, "but that will look poor in the eyes of the upper crust. We could pass off Miroku as an advisor, though the pure demon element will find that highly distasteful. Sango might be accepted as Miroku's wife, but you should not make it known that you are a demon exterminator."

"Miroku's what?!"

The houshi grinned.

"It will be sufficient to say the words, Sango-sama," Myouga assured the woman. "Ladies of high breeding do not marry for love, thus no more is required of you than your presence and obedience."

"What about Kagome?" Inuyasha dreaded the answer he knew was coming.

"She will have to play the role of your intended."

"No." Inuyasha shook his head forcefully.

"Concubine, then?"

"No!" This time it was Kagome who spoke.

Myouga sighed. "Word of your travels has spread quite far, Milord. Most of the kingdom is aware that Inutaisho's son travels with a strange girl from another land. They will not accept her as a friend of their future leader. They will see her as a concubine or as a mate. And need I remind you, the girl is already mar--" the flea quickly found himself confined in hot darkness as Inuyasha closed his palm over his vassal, halting the sentence.

"Fine, she can be a concubine."  


Kagome fumed, but began to relax when Sango placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Kagome-chan, we will not be among the public much, right? We're just preparing if anyone asks."

"Fine." She would sit that impertinent hanyou for this…

Inuyasha gulped. She was going to sit him later. "Anything else, Myouga?"  


"You must remember your roles, and defer to Lord Inuyasha. Once inside the borders, he is the heir apparent to a large kingdom and should be treated as such."

The three humans collectively rolled their eyes. As if Inuyasha wasn't arrogant enough. Then again, Kagome thought as she realized the weary expression on her dear hanyou's face, maybe that wasn't such a concern right now. She almost felt sympathy for him.

"We should continue," Inuyasha announced.

"Yes, Master. You lead, Miroku-sama should be a step behind. Kagome-sama and Sango-sama should stand side-by-side several paces behind -- Kagome behind you and Sango behind Miroku." 

Inuyasha frowned. I don't like the idea of the women being alone in the back. If we should be attacked --

"Kirara will follow," Sango assured him. "We'll be fine."  


An hour later they found themselves passing the first small farm on the outskirts of the Inuyoukai's Kingdom. Inuyasha was relieved to remember that that castle stood closer to this edge of the border, meaning their time among gossiping peasants and nobility would be greatly reduced. In fact, the great city sprawled out on the opposite side of the castle. With any luck, they would make it to the castle gates without meeting a single soul.

Indeed, and odd considering the domain's large population, the first being they happened across was the annoying toad demon called Jaken. He stood obediently waiting at the main hall.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed me to escort you to the main chamber. The servants will see to your companions."  


Hesitant to trust anyone in his brother's employ but seeing no other option, Inuyasha gave his comrades what he hoped was an encouraging nod and followed the toad down the dark hallway.

* * * *

Inuyasha remembered this hall; it hadn't changed a bit since the last time he walked on its dark wooden planks surrounded by lush tapestries. Those tapestries told of the glorious battles of his father, his father's father, and his father before him. Inuyasha closed his eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of the only place he'd ever really considered home. He needed to recall the protocols, but remembering when to bow and when to speak meant remembering the ones who taught him those rules. It meant remembering his mother. Cringing, Inuyasha fought to select only the relevant information with some success.

"Inuyasha."

"Sesshoumaru."

They bowed to each other, the forced politeness leaving both with equal distaste. Still, there were courtiers and courtesans watching. Pretense was necessary.

"We shall adjourn for the day," the inuyoukai announced to his advisors before turning to his brother. "Inuyasha, I will see you in my private chambers. Jaken, show him the way."

"I know where to go," Inuyasha snapped before remembering his place. "Excuse me, it's been a long journey." He reluctantly followed his brother's vassal into a smaller anteroom behind the main hall where he was then left in silence. 

Inuyasha studied the various wall hangings, recalling some of the stories his mother had told him in his childhood. Others had been passed down through Myouga, particularly when old family foes had surfaced. A particularly bright tapestry hung behind what served as Sesshoumaru's desk. Inuyasha recognized the forboding figure as Ryuukotsusei, the demon who'd killed Inutaisho.

"You avenged our father," Sesshoumaru remarked as he entered the room, noting the source of Inuyasha's studious gaze. "I suppose I should have been grateful for that."

"Spare me, Sesshoumaru. There aren't any spying eyes or listening ears, so let's cut the crap, shall we?"

The elder brother directed a cool glare at his younger sibling. "There are ALWAYS listening ears, little hanyou. Don't ever forget that." He glided over to his desk and sat down regally, indicating that Inuyasha should do so as well.

"We'll skip the pleasantries this time, as there is much to discuss. It is no secret that you and I have disliked each other --"

"Hated, is more like it…"  


"-- for some time. In fact, Inuyasha, I never liked you. Father was a fool to breed with a human and I can see already that you are following in his footsteps."

Inuyasha started at this, realizing he was referring to Kagome. He let the comment slide for the moment.

"Regardless," Sesshoumaru continued, "there are those who wait for the chance to take the throne from our family. I will not allow our heritage to be erased."

"You need me then," Inuyasha sneered with barely supressed glee.

"Don't kid yourself, hanyou. I could just as easily take a mate tonight, conceive a pup and appoint a stand-in to rule in my stead. However I would not be there to tell my heir the stories of our father and his heritage. As much as it pains me to do so, I must accept the fact that you are the only male demon left in our family. I expect that you are not completely without honor, Inuyasha?"  


Growling, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "I've fought more battles in my eighteen years than you've fought in your seventy-five, Sesshoumaru. Don't lecture me about honor and duty."

"Good, then you will accept your duty as the second son of Inutaisho."

Inuyasha had no idea how he'd agreed to this, but in his heart he knew there was no alternative. He would be the next lord of the western lands. "Hai."

"We will begin training at sunrise tomorrow."

"Training?"

"In the ways of a nobleman. You were but a runt of a thing when you left the kingdom and from our few encounters over the years, the last year especially, I can tell you will require some lessons in the ways of a great lord. Ruling a kingdom takes more than strength of body and a sword. You will study our history, and learn our traditions and procedures. And Inuyasha, you will take a mate."

"WHAT?!"

"I would prefer you not further weaken our bloodline with that human wench, but you have already claimed her."

"It was unintentional."  


"Regardless, she is now yours. She will need training as well."  


"There are things you don't know about Kagome," Inuyasha began, wondering just how much he could safely reveal. "She isn't from our world, and I don't think she will be staying here."

"You would dishonor our family by rejecting your own claim?"

Inuyasha hung his head low and focused on his feet. "I will sort this mess out in my own way."

"You will sort nothing!" Sesshoumaru actually bellowed. Inuyasha felt his heart jump and instinctively grasped at the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "You marked her, she is here in our father's castle reeking of it, and by tomorrow every inhabitant of this land will recognize her as your intended. Mistake or not, she is your mate. Deal with that as you will, but you will not rescind the claim."

Inuyasha said nothing but continued to stare at the ground.

"You are dismissed, Brother, until the evening meal. We will be entertaining some of the more prominent families this evening; I expect you to be in top form."

With that, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the scroll on his desk before him, leaving Inuyasha to exit the room in foreboding silence.

* * * * * 

"I guess we won't be keeping too low a profile," Sango noted dejectedly. The servants had insisted upon sending their charges out into the marketplace almost immediately to seek out appropriate dinner dress, by order of Lord Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, but at least we can have some fun while we're here," Kagome replied happily. She stopped at a booth draped with various colored silks and fingered a soft tasseled purple kimono pattered with white orchids. "I haven't been on a shopping trip in AGES."

Miroku laughed heartily at the girl's enthusiasm. "Kagome-sama, I do wish your joy would rub off on Sango-sama."

The older girl glared at him, but tried to plaster a smile on her face. She had to keep up the pretense of being a loyal wife, after all.

An old woman emerged from behind the wooden booth to regard Kagome. "Ah, you must be the young lord's mistress," she noted with kind warmth. "Do you see something you would like to take home?"

Kagome gazed with longing at the kimono in her fingers. "This is the most beautiful kimono I've ever seen," she told the woman.

"I am glad it pleases you, Mistress. This kimono was made for my daughter's wedding by my own two hands."

"So it is not for sale, then?"

The woman's face fell for a moment. "Hai, it is for sale. My daughter was slaughtered by a raven demon before she was taken in marriage."

"I am so sorry." Kagome wanted to reach out to the woman but held back for fear of violating protocols.

"It was long ago," the woman finally replied, a smile gracing her wrinkled face again. "Please, accept this as a gift from the Usagi family." She lifted the kimono from its hanging place and folded it into a large scrap of paper, finally handing the bundle to Kagome. "We would be honored for a lady such as yourself to wear our daughter's wedding kimono."  


Kagome was speechless. She smiled and leaned forward to hug the woman. Protocol be damned.

"You are very kind, Usagi-san," Miroku thanked the woman for Kagome. "We will remember your family to our lord."

Kagome released the woman and hugged the kimono to her chest, following Miroku and Sango down the dusty city street.

"I don't know what Myouga was so worried about," Kagome finally spoke up as they passed several more booths of clothing. "The citizens here seem very friendly and welcoming."

Miroku took a deep breath and surveyed the crowd. "It isn't the peasants he was concerned about, Kagome-sama. In situations such as these, those of aristocratic breeding will look for any sign of weakness to exploit for their own advancement. With your miko powers you will easily detect evil in the hearts of the other dinner guests tonight. I would advise you to remain as silent and unobtrusive as possible, lest you incur wanted questioning."

Noting his serious demeanor, Kagome could only nod in silent agreement. Sango-chan gave the girl a small smile to comfort her. "At least you will have that lovely kimono to wear this evening. I am sure Inuyasha will find you stunning."

Kagome snorted a rather indelicate laugh. "Ha, he wouldn't notice if I showed up in a potato sack."

Sango and Miroku sent each other surreptitious glances over the girl's head, but neither replied.

"We still need to find a gown for Sango-sama," Miroku announced turning toward another booth. "I think you would look quite fetching in red…"


	6. Courtship Advice for the Clueless

Ok, I promise there will be some real romance in this chapter, however it will be subtle. I actually did some research to write this story and here's my first citation on the art of haiku (had issues getting ff.net to show the url, so I broke it up into pieces):

http : // www . moonrisings . com / whatishaiku . html

Hope you enjoy!

****

Chapter Five

Kagome rose from the plush futon and stretched her arms high above her head. By the light streaming in her window she guessed it was close to noon. How had she slept so late?

"I guess I did get to bed close to dawn," she thought aloud. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed Kagome stood and glanced around the room, her eyes resting on the kimono she'd worn to dinner. Oh what a dinner -- more lavish than anything she'd ever encountered. Sesshoumaru spared no expense -- they'd been offered seven courses, five different main dishes to select from, and at least seven confections for dessert. Of course, she realized, the gracious offering was undoubtedly meant more for the local aristocrats than for Inuyasha's companions.

She stretched again and considered what to do next. Inuyasha was scheduled to take a tour of the various villages and farms that comprised his new domain. She'd barely seen the hanyou since their arrival almost a full day before. The thought of that left her feeling empty. Would he always be so preoccupied from now on? Surely the it was the concubine's prerogative to see her master, right? Kagome couldn't help the small smile that found its way to her lips at that thought. Not that she'd ever admit it, but the idea of being his personal consort actually pleased her.

Miroku had been offered a tour of the more lavish kingdom temples at sunrise. Being his 'wife', Sango was likely along for the trip. That left Kagome completely alone. She wished they'd taken Shippou along.

Sighing, Kagome noticed a small bundle of fresh clothing had been set out for her. True, concubines did have their own servants. No sooner had Kagome considered when the door to her room opened and admitted a small girl of about eight with long black hair wearing an orange and white kimono. "You're…"

"Rin, Kagome-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama asked Rin to take care of Kagome-sama." The girl set down a small tray which held what was to be her breakfast. "After Kagome-sama eats, Rin will take her to the archery field so Kagome can practice with her arrows."

"Practice?"

Rin's smile turned into a look of confusion. "Kagome-sama is a master archer, yes? Sesshoumaru-sama said Kagome would be bored sitting in her room all day."

The girl was right, Kagome had no desire to sit still while everyone else went exploring. Besides, a little target practice usually helped her clear her mind. She laughed. "I don't know if I'd call myself a master archer. Thank you for breakfast, Rin, I think that sounds like a good plan."

Smiling again, Rin bowed quickly and turned to leave. "Kagome-sama should call for Rin when she is ready to go."

* * * * *

"I appreciate that you didn't consume the rice bowls along with your dinner last night, Brother." Sesshoumaru stared straight ahead as he and Inuyasha made their way toward the northern border of their home. 

"Keh. I know how to behave."

"Hardly. There are no starving peasants within the castle walls. If you are so hungry that you must inhale your food, I recommend eating more meals."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Stuff it, baka."

"That's another thing: you really should work on expanding your vocabulary." Sesshoumaru sighed. "I don't know what I was thinking, bringing you here to lead our father's kingdom. You're nothing but a crude, arrogant half-human peasant. It will rain honey before you resemble anything close to an inuyoukai."

Inuyasha stopped suddenly and folded his arms into his haori. "Are you trying to make me a leader, or are you trying to make me into a copy of you?"

"You could never achieve my greatness, hanyou. For one thing, I wouldn't take a fool human woman as a mate."

"Oh? So that Rin girl is a demon in disguise, then?"

"She isn't my mate."

"She would be if she were old enough. Don't deny it."

Sesshoumaru said nothing.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought." Inuyasha grinned at his small victory.

"Rin can care for herself. That is more than I can say for your mother and Kagome."

"Don't you talk about my mother."

Sesshoumaru turned to face the hanyou, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "You glorify her because she died when you were too young to recognize her weakness. Just as you are too blinded by passion to recognize the same in Kagome."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Inuyasha grumbled. "My mother died because we were exiled from the safety of father's castle; and don't pretend you had nothing to do with it."  


"My role in your exile was minimal, hanyou. The kingdom was under imminent attack and our father knew your mother would fail to protect herself. He doubted she could even protect you. I was only twelve when you were sent away but I already knew that to honor Father, I had to be strong and brave. I suggested he send you away for his own protection, because I realized he would let down his guard if either of you were in danger. If he hadn't listened, Father would have died that day and our ancestral lands would be under the control of the nekoyoukai."  


"So what does Kagome have to do with any of this?"

Sesshoumaru turned back to the road ahead and began walking. Inuyasha followed.

"I've seen how you react when the girl is in danger. So much like Father. A ruling lord's first duty is to his kingdom. If Kagome is in danger, you will allow your love for the girl compromise the lives of everyone in this domain. The girl must be stronger; not just for her own safety, but for the safety of everyone here." He glanced at his younger brother again. "You must make her strong, Inuyasha."

* * * * *

"Got it!" Kagome did a little happy dance before walking over to the target. One hundred paces away and she'd hit the dummy square in the forehead.

"Kagome-sama is a great archer," Rin squealed encouragingly. "Two times!"

Pulling the arrow from her target, Kagome turned back to the little girl. "Yes, but out of fifty tries. I'm getting better, but I have a long way to go."

"Scram kid."

Kagome leapt at the sudden interruption and shot a look toward the back gate of the castle where Inuyasha stood watching them. Rin glanced from the hanyou to her mistress. "Hai!" She ran off toward the castle.

"Getting better, huh? Let me see."

Nodding, Kagome took her previous position away from the dummy and notched her arrow. _Kami, please let it hit_, she prayed silently as she let the arrow fly. It embedded itself square in the center of the dummy's forehead once again, and Kagome grinned.

Inuyasha walked up to the miko and examined the shot.

"Well?"  


"Well what? The target doesn't move. That's hardly impressive," he snorted derisively.

Kagome's face fell. "I may not be as impressive as certain OTHER people," Kagome chanced a look at the hanyou to see if he caught her hint, "but I haven't exactly been doing this all my life, you know."

"Pathetic excuse. I'll be impressed when you can hit a moving target with any accuracy."

A challenge! Kagome searched the field before her for an appropriate target. "How about that branch over there? It's swaying a lot…"

"Keh. I suppose that might be something." He walked over to the branch and notched a small 'x' into its center. "Hit it right there," he announced walking back to Kagome and coming to stand behind her, "and I might be a little more convinced of your 'progress'."

Aiming her bow, Kagome's face began sporting small beads of sweat in her concentration. He wanted to be impressed, huh? She let the arrow fly and closed her eyes when it missed the branch altogether, landing with a plop into the small stream beyond.

"More practice. Definitely need more practice." He smirked at the miko and turned to walk away.

Kagome's face reddened in anger. "If we were back at Kaede's village…"

"What? You'd sit me?"  


"YES." Kagome blinked back the tears of anger and frustration she felt pooling in her eyes. She wouldn't let the arrogant hanyou see how much he'd upset her.

"You haven't sat me in weeks," he noted smugly. "I think you forgot how to say it."

Her teeth grinding together, Kagome kept repeating the same mantra in her head. _Must stay cool… must stay cool…_

Seeing no further response forthcoming, Inuyasha gave her one last smirk and walked back to the back gate. "Oh, you might want to be more careful about those stray arrows. Wouldn't want you to kill some innocent bystander."

She couldn't help herself. As soon as he was far enough away, Kagome harshly whispered the therapeutic "SIT BOY."

Miroku held back a laugh at the scene before him. As soon as they left this place, he had no doubt Kagome would take all her accumulated 'sits' and present them to Inuyasha with great glee. The hanyou wouldn't be able to move for a month.

"You know Inuyasha, upsetting a woman is not the best way to get her into your bed."

"Who said I wanted that wench in my bed?"

Wagging a finger at the half-demon, Miroku followed him into the main hall. "Your eyes say what your words deny. I could give you a few pointers, my friend. As your advisor."

Inuyasha actually considered the offer. "Oh, like what?"

"Well women like being touched a lot, even if they tell you otherwise."

"Oh really? So Sango is constantly pounding you with hiraikotsu because -- what? -- it's a love bump?"  


"Sango is an unusual woman," Miroku replied.

Snorting, Inuyasha shook his head. "Sure, I'll bet that's why. What other 'advice' do you have for me?"  


"You should speak more passionately to her. Lower your voice a little," Miroku deepened his tone in a manner reminiscent of Barry White, "like this."

Now Inuyasha was holding his sides in laughter. "Miroku, in the three seasons I've known you I have yet to see you with a woman for longer than an hour. Something tells me you're not the person I should be asking about courting women."

Huffing indignantly, Miroku turned his nose up at the hanyou. "Suit yourself. At least I know better than to insult the woman I'm courting." With that, he stalked off toward his bedroom leaving Inuyasha sighing in good humor.

"Good call," Sango announced from behind him. "That baka knows NOTHING about what women want."

"And you do?" This constant barrage of love advice was starting to get tiresome.

Sango raised her eyebrows in amusement. "I AM a woman, you know."

She had a point. "So what would you suggest?" Inuyasha asked, then blushed and quickly added, "assuming I were interested in courting one."

"Oh, of course, this is strictly hypothetical," she assured the hanyou with a glint of humor in her eyes. "Women like to feel special… cherished. They like when men make an effort to please them."

"Yes, women do seem to require a lot of maintenance," he grumbled in response.

"Most things worth having are hard to come by," she pointed out.

He had no reply, as he realized she was right; and Kagome was definitely worth the effort.

Sango continued, "I know why you've been so harsh with her lately, and I don't expect you to be able to change that. Still, you should honor your human side as well, Inuyasha. If you are trying to court a human, then you need to treat her as such."

"So what do humans do?" Inuyasha found himself thoroughly engrossed in her words, eagerly taking in every bit of wisdom she offered.

"Come with me to the library," Sango suggested. "I have a few ideas."

* * * * * 

"Good night, Sango-chan!"

Kagome closed the door to her room that night and eagerly made her way to the futon. Her arms were already becoming sore from her long hours of practice. Damn that arrogant hanyou for belittling her effort!

In her fatigue, she almost missed the slip of paper lying on her blanket. It was simple parchment, but for this time period likely an expensive commodity. The words were written in an unfamiliar hand with graceful strokes by a dark black calligraphy brush. Glancing around the room as though to find the one who'd left it there, Kagome finally settled herself onto the futon and read the note.

__

Orchid in the wind, Sheltered by the cherry tree, Standing in the rain


	7. Love, and the Hentai Haiku

Notes 'n stuff: 

Azrial Saotome – I actually had an interesting way to bring Sesshoumaru back from the edge of death, and as said I am considering writing that in. However, the original direction of the story required his death to be final. While I've planned out the general plot completely, there is room for modification as the mood forms and changes. So the only thing I can say is, "we'll see". :-)

The haiku may have reeked, I don't know. I was going to use haiku written by famous Japanese poets but the ones I found dated back to the 1700s or later and since feudal Japan is in the 1500s, that idea didn't work. Regardless of your opinion of the poem itself, for the sake of the story let's pretend it's one of the more impressive haiku, ok?

****

Chapter Six

Sango's hand hovered hesitantly over the door to Kagome's room. Several minutes had passed since she bade the girl good night and originally she had intended to retire for the night. Could she be blamed for her curiosity? Steeling her nerve, Sango rapped lightly on the large wooden door and put an ear up to it.

"Come in?"  


Kagome felt more than saw her late night visitor, as she was completely absorbed in the note she held in her shaking fingers.

"Something… wrong?" Sango watched the younger girl for an expression. Kagome was sitting ramrod stiff, clutching the small piece of parchment in her hands and staring at it in a mixture of awe and confusion. She was seconds from asking her about the offending note when Kagome spoke.

"I found this haiku on my bed. I have no idea who put it there."

"If you had Inuyasha's nose you could sniff out that mystery," Sango noted with irony that was lost on the girl. "May I see it?"

Kagome finally looked up from her poem and nodded slowly, handing the paper to Sango. The taijiya took it as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. She'd suggested the haiku to Inuyasha, but he'd refused her assistance in writing it. She wondered what kind of imagery the normally clueless hanyou had chosen to represent in his poem to Kagome.

Sango was struck first by the exquisite handwriting. She'd have to ask him later where he'd learned calligraphy. What shocked her more was the content of the haiku. "Wow," she breathed. "I expected…"

"Expected what?" Kagome shook herself from her stupor and turned to face her friend head-on. "Do you know who wrote this?"  


"No, no!" Sango handed the paper back to Kagome as though the note had stung her. "I just don't know of many men who can write poetry," she lied. "The imagery really tells a lot about how this man feels for you."

Kagome blushed. "I'm not really that familiar with haiku," she admitted. "We learned about the basic form in class, as well as the history behind it. We even had to write them but mine were pretty pathetic. I guess I don't really understand the meaning in this one."

Taking a seat beside the girl, she took the note back and pointed to the first line. "Mind you I'm only speculating here," Sango warned, "but I believe this first line represents you. 'Orchid in the wind.' This person must have been at the dinner and noticed your kimono. The wind… could signify dangers in the world that bend you in many directions."

"The next line?"

"'Sheltered by the cherry tree'. I suppose that could be us, your friends. More likely the poet is referring to himself and his desire to protect you." This was getting dangerous. Too much explanation and she'd give Inuyasha away.

"And 'standing in the rain,' means together we're showered with good fortune?" Kagome looked up hopefully to her friend for confirmation.

Sango wanted to laugh. Perhaps it could be interpreted that way. After all, water nourished plants. "Hai, that sounds right to me." Her heart warmed at the broad grin that broke out on Kagome's face. "A little like those valentines you received in school, ne?"

Kagome shook her head firmly. "No – much better!"

__

I'll have to tell Inuyasha that, Sango thought to herself. He needed that kind of encouragement. "Well, it's late. I should return to my room. Oyasumi nasai, Kagome."

* * * * *

"…Fujimoto is minister of defense; he sits to my immediate right. Hatayama is in charge of foreign affairs and Hatoyama is my minister of trade."

Inuyasha sat back, folded his arms over his chest, and gave Sesshoumaru a supremely smug look.

"Wrong. Hat**o**yama is minister of foreign affairs, and Hat**a**yama is minister of trade."

"Five out of seven isn't bad," Miroku offered in an effort to diffuse the rising tension. "It's an easy mistake to make."

Sesshoumaru growled. "These men are some of the higher ranking demons and lords in our country, Inuyasha. They will not take being forgotten lightly."

"Anyone weak enough to take personal offense to something so insignificant isn't worth my concern," the hanyou grumbled.

"You are welcome to appoint your own advisors later, Brother, but if you have any hopes of maintaining the peace this land has enjoyed for the last forty years then I suggest you take this a little more seriously."

"I think it's time for a break," Miroku suggested with apprehension. When the inuyoukai seemed to agree, he relaxed in relief.

"Yes, we must discuss your mating ceremony, Inuyasha."  


"My what?"

Laughing, Miroku retrieved his staff from the wall he'd left it leaning upon. "Now that's something I'd like to see."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and took on a small tinge of red. Miroku stepped back a bit. "The mating ceremony is family only, Monk."

"Oh no you won't! There is no way you're watching me do THAT."

"Fool! Only the ceremony is for family. The actual mating is done in private."

Breathing a deep sigh of relief Inuyasha noted the leer in his friend's eyes. "You're not invited to THAT either, Bouzou."

A servant interrupted their discussion with the mens' late noon lunch. The young human female quickly deposited the tray onto the table before them and poured three cups of tea. Just as soon as she'd arrived, she shuffled out the door and was gone.

"Have you been preparing your woman?" Sesshoumaru asked his brother as he reached for a bowl of miso soup. 

"Preparing?" Miroku looked from the demon to the hanyou in confusion.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know what it is you expect me to do, Sesshoumaru. She's been practicing her archery, thanks to your subtle hints through Rin."

"That's not what I mean, Brother. When the fever of your heat overtakes you, there is a chance you will injure the girl. She may need the strength to fight you for self-preservation."

The houshi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Self-preservation? Just how rough are you demons?"

"I'm only half," Inuyasha reminded his brother, ignoring Miroku's question. "Besides, you talk as though this were a definite. There's no guarantee she'll agree to be my mate."

"She will if she's smart," Sesshoumaru warned in an ominous tone. "Even if Kagome left today, I doubt she'd get far enough to escape you. Your intent claim upon her increased the speed at which your heat is rising. If the mating is not completed within the next week, I doubt the choice will be hers anymore."

Inuyasha tried to school his features into a look of confidence. Inside, he was quaking with fear and self-loathing. "I'll control myself, Sesshoumaru. I will not rape Kagome." A thought occurred to him just then, and he turned to face Miroku. "Houshi, I need you to promise me something. If I start to misbehave, I want you to protect Kagome from me. Do whatever you have to do, just don't let me hurt her."

"Of course, Inuyasha. You have my word." Miroku smiled, "of course that won't be necessary if you get her into your bed before it's too late." 

__

Not this again…

The monk continued, "I hear you took up poetry."

Sesshoumaru gaped at his brother with ill-concealed horror. "Poetry?"

Inuyasha cringed.

"Might I suggest a more alluring set of verses for your next venture? Something that will send her into a receptive mood?"

"I hate to agree with the monk, but the girl is human. Perhaps you should take his suggestions to heart." Sesshoumaru retrieved a pen and piece of paper from the conference table and thrust them at Miroku. "Get started, Houshi. My brother is taking far too long with this seduction."

"Kuso! I thought my sex life was my own damn business." Inuyasha growled in indignation at the two who sat opposite him.

Miroku started scrawling away at the paper. "We're just trying to help," he smiled.

* * * * *

Sango intercepted Inuyasha as he reached the door to Kagome's room. "Another haiku?"

He blushed, gripping the small paper tightly.

"May I see it? The last one you wrote was so lovely, Kagome was completely impressed."

After a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha handed the note to Sango and stood back. "She really liked it?"

Smiling brightly, Sango nodded. "Yes, she said it was much better than the valentines she got at her class celebration." She looked down at the paper and frowned. "What is this?"  


"I got a little help this time," he replied defensively.

"Miroku wrote this, didn't he?" Sango didn't wait for his answer, crumpling the paper. "If you give this to Kagome you will scare the life out of her; and if she finds out it came from you, you will bet sat into your grave."

"That bad?"

Smoothing out the note she started to read aloud, "'Fertile young soil, Aching for the vibrant seed, Open to my plow.' Please tell me you weren't really going to give this to her?"

Shuffling his feet, Inuyasha was suddenly very interested in the wooden floor beneath him.

"Your last haiku was wonderful, Inuyasha. It held so much deep meaning. Please don't ruin your hard work with this dirty piece of trash." Sango lay a hand gently on the hanyou's shoulder, prompting him to look up at her. "The most poignant written works come from the author's heart. Kagome cares for you a great deal and it won't take much to make her yours, as long as you remain true to yourself."

With that, she dropped her hand and walked past him toward the dining room. "I'll feed this to the fire for you," she chuckled lightly.

* * * * * 

"Should Rin draw Kagome-sama a bath?" the little girl asked Kagome when they returned from dinner. "Rin went to the market today to buy lavender soap for Kagome-sama."

Patting the girl's head in affection, Kagome nodded. "That would be wonderful, Rin-chan." As the girl ran off toward the bathing room adjoining Kagome's sleeping chambers, Kagome noticed another small piece of parchment on her futon. Her heart began to race as she approached it.

A light hint of cherry wafted from the small note, which Kagome drank in before sitting to read the increasingly familiar script.

__

Orchid greets the sun; Cherry tree sprouts its first blooms; Sweetness fills the air

She breathed out a long, soft breath and closed her eyes. The words echoed in her mind as she tried to find the meaning within them.

"Kagome-sama, Rin has drawn your bath."  


"Thank you Rin-chan. You may go now. Sweet dreams little one."

"Arigato!" The little girl scurried behind the door and closed it, leaving Kagome to dream of her nameless suitor.


	8. Dinner Musings

****

Chapter Seven

"I appreciated the martial arts lesson," Kagome announced to Sango as she sat down beside the girl in the diningroom, "but I don't think my poor legs will heal for a month!"

Sango laughed lightly and spared a sympathetic look for the miko.

"Keh! Weakling." Inuyasha strode over to sit beside Miroku, who placed his hand on the floor mat, preventing Inuyasha from taking the seat. With a glare, Inuyasha surveyed the room and found only two other place settings: one on Kagome's left and the other on Sesshoumaru's right.

"This seat is reserved for Jaken," Sesshoumaru informed his hanyou brother. "We have business to discuss. Go sit beside your mate."  


"Quiet, Baka!" Resigned to his fate, Inuyasha plopped down beside the girl and made great effort to avoid looking at her. He felt the now familiar ache forming in his stomach and making its way south. Miroku might have to intervene yet, he thought ruefully.

Sensing tension between the well-meaning hanyou and the naïve young woman, Sango picked up the conversation again. "We often trained much longer when I was a young girl. Just about everything we did in my village was related to demon--" she caught herself and amended the sentence, "to our occupation."

"Other than archery, the most strenuous activity I've ever done is tennis," Kagome offered. "Tennis practice lasted two hours when we were training for competition, but usually it was just an hour three days a week."

"What's tennis?" The taijiya found great interest Kagome's world.

Kagome smiled, remembering her triumph in the junior tournament four years before. It was right before her father had died… "It's a game," she answered quickly, staving off the sadness memories of her father often resurrected. "A small ball this big," she made a fist, "is hit between two people over a net with an object called a racquet. Next time I go home I'll bring my old gear and I can teach you, if you'd like."

Inuyasha snorted, listening to the conversation as food was placed before them. "That's not a sport. Hitting a ball. Keh! No wonder so many people in your world are fat. They take those auto-mo-beel things everywhere, can't even be bothered to carry their own weight. I think your people would die off in a week if they had to live here."

"I survived," Kagome pointed out proudly.

"Please, only because I carry you on my back and come running every time you call, 'Inuyasha, save me!'" he finished the sentence with a horrible falsetto in imitation of Kagome.

She did not find this amusing.

"Kami, I don't know why I even bother to acknowledge you. Lately Inuyasha, you've been an even bigger ass than normal." With a huff she turned back to Sango, trying hard to hide the tears that desperately wanted to fall. "At least someone has nice things to say to me," she said loudly so that Inuyasha was sure to pay attention.

"Another haiku?" Sango saw her chance to soothe the demon and she wasn't going to waste it.

Stars took residence in Kagome's eyes, replacing the shimmering tears Inuyasha's words had evoked. "Yes, another one. I think he's trying to tell me a story." She took the parchment from her kimono and handed it to Sango.

Relieved that it wasn't a reincarnation of the hentai poem Miroku had written, she began to read it to herself. "Yes, there does seem to be a theme here. What do you make of it?"

"It's about summer time," Kagome explained with certainty.

"Yes, but haiku given in this manner usually have a second meaning." She looked at the words again and sought an explanation that wouldn't embarrass the hanyou sitting mere feet away. A hanyou who, she noted, was listening to their conversation with rapt attention.

"The previous haiku was about protection," she began at last. "This one seems to suggest that your having accepted the cherry tree's protection and the warmth of love -- the sun -- freed him to feel his love for the first time."

Kagome swooned. "I like that meaning much more than what I came up with." Then she paused and a slight frown of confusion made its way to her face. "Wait a minute. Who's protection and love have I accepted? The only men I know here are Miroku and Inuyasha. Possibly Sesshoumaru." She chuckled at the thought that entered her mind before voicing it. "I suppose Sesshoumaru would be more likely than certain OTHER inuyoukai to write something so beautiful."

Inuyasha audibly gulped. Sango cleared her throat to keep Kagome from questioning him and added in her own opinion. "It could be a prediction," she lied. "Maybe your admirer is telling you that he will be happy if you return his love."

"I just wish I knew who he was," Kagome sighed sadly. _I wish he were Inuyasha_, she thought to herself.

The subject of her longing stood abruptly from his dinner and bowed to Sesshoumaru and his companions. "Excuse me, I need some time to myself." Without waiting for a reply, he dashed out the dining room and made his way to the privacy of his quarters.

"What was that about?" Miroku glanced at Sango who simply shrugged.

Kagome checked to see if Sesshoumaru was listening before leaning in to her friends. "There's a new moon tonight," she explained, pointing to the setting sun. "I guess he hasn't told his brother that little secret yet."

Safely inside the privacy of his room, Inuyasha plopped down to the futon in the back corner and listened to the many warring voices in his head.

__

"I suppose Sesshoumaru would be more likely than certain OTHER inuyoukai to write something so beautiful.."

From her perspective, she was right. He'd never given her any indication that he was educated, and his behavior over the last few days -- even the last few weeks -- would suggest he saw her as little more than an annoying necessity.

He wanted to tell her. Everything. How much he loved her, longed for her, needed to be with her. He wanted to reveal himself as the secret admirer she appeared to find quite appealing. But the look in her eyes these last two days… so full of life and happiness. Would that light disappear when he shattered her fantasies of romance and intrigue? Would Kagome find the reality sufficient, or would he fall too far short of her dreams?  


Inuyasha felt the first stirrings of change in his body. At least in his human form he was in no danger of hurting her. For one blessed night he might actually sleep without the fevered dreams of her scent and pliable body molding to him, fitting in all the right places as meant by nature.

Minutes passed and the transformation completed. For the first time in weeks he felt his blood calm and was at peace. A much needed sleep began to claim him as Inuyasha pulled the coverlet of his futon over his body and allowed his eyes to close.

* * * * * 

Kagome paused as she and Sango passed Inuyasha's room. "You know, he did leave awfully fast at dinner."

"Yes, because of the new moon, right?"

"No…" the young miko reached out to touch the door lightly, as though it were Inuyasha himself. "If he were really that worried he wouldn't have come to dinner at all. Something must really be bothering him." She turned suddenly from the door and faced Sango. "He's been particularly mean lately, hasn't he?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Raising an eyebrow, Kagome fixed Sango with a disbelieving stare. "Really? So you haven't noticed how he's been picking on me about every little thing? It's almost like he WANTS me to cry."

Sango finally nodded her head in slow agreement. "I suppose he has been a little -- harsh -- lately. He's probably just under a lot of stress. This is a big change for him, you know. Plus, Shippou is with Kaede, so he can't really beat up on the fox as he normally does."

Kagome seemed to accept the explanation, to Sango's immense relief. "I suppose you're right. I should try to be more understanding."

"Don't worry," the taijiya comforted as they began to walk down the hall again, "I'm sure this will all be resolved soon."


	9. Caught?

****

Chapter Eight

Inuyasha peered into the dark room before him and found Sesshoumaru sitting behind his desk. "You called?"

The elder demon nodded curtly and bade Jaken close the door as he motioned Inuyasha closer. "Lord Fujimoto came to see me today," he began in his usual solemn tone. Still, it held a deeper note of concern to the hanyou's ears. 

"And what did our minister of defense have to share with you?"

"There are rumors circulating. The nekoyoukai have heard of my condition and are preparing to attack."

Inuyasha sat straighter and peered at Sesshoumaru, looking for some sign of deception. Finding none, he sighed. "So what does this mean exactly?"

"We have a week, two at most. After our last encounter they will want to be prepared, and their warriors are not known for speed. I have already ordered the border guards to train and prepare their weapons, but…"

"But?"  


"It would be best if we make the transition of power before the attack."

Startled, Inuyasha looked up at his brother again. "Already? You seem fine to me, in fact I'm almost wondering if this whole thing hasn't been some ruse to lure me here and --"

As soon as the words began tumbling out of his mouth, Inuyasha swallowed them. Sesshoumaru had begun to cough most violently. When the racking convulsions abated, he displayed his palm to the young hanyou, showing him the evidence of his illness. His fingers were laced with deep crimson stains.

"Just because I hide my infirmity doesn't make it any less true," he rasped.

Seeing this weakness in his brother, caused by Inuyasha's greatest enemy, awakened a small piece of his heart that had lain dormant for many years. He actually felt bad for the youkai lord. "How much longer?"

"Weeks yet," Sesshoumaru assured him. "But the last few I won't be of much use to you or anyone else. It is in the best interest of our kingdom for me to step aside now, and guide you in your early weeks."

Inuyasha felt as though a great weight had been placed upon his shoulders at Sesshoumaru's words. "When?"

"I've sent Jaken to make preparations for the taikanshiki* already," he answered, "you should be ready in three nights." Clearing his throat, Sesshoumaru fixed an intent stare on Inuyasha. "We must also discuss your mating ceremony, Inuyasha. There is no law that requires you to be mated, but the longer you leave a girl of her age half-claimed…"

"I know," Inuyasha cut him off. "It looks bad."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "We will host a formal gathering after the ceremony; I would like for you to formally introduce Kagome as your chosen mate by the end of the evening."  


"The choice will still be hers," Inuyasha reminded him. "I won't make any announcements without her consent and I'm not ready to ask her yet."

"My patience is wearing thin, little Brother. You know now that our enemies are on the move. We can't afford the luxury of time."

Inuyasha sighed. "I already agreed to keep my claim," he spat, "but I will handle this on my own terms." He stood then, and bowed before the inu lord. "There is something I should do first, but it will take me away from our lands for the three days before the ceremony."

"You are as prepared as you will ever be," Sesshoumaru announced. "Return by first light on the third day to take your position. Whatever else you do in that time is your business."

"Will my friends be cared for?"

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. "Of course."

With that assurance, Inuyasha strode purposefully toward the door and made his way down the hall.

* * * * *

Reaching Sango's room, Inuyasha knocked loudly on the heavy wooden door and waited impatiently for her response.

"Come in."

He burst in unceremoniously and closed the door tightly behind him, glancing around the room to ensure its security.

"Inuyasha?"

"I need you to come with me for an errand." His eyes continued to dart nervously about the room as though expecting an intruder to appear from some unknown hiding place.

Sango blinked. "Wh- um, where are we going?"

Shaking his head Inuyasha calmed down and took a step closer to the taijiya. "I can't tell you here. We'll be gone for two or three days, that's all I can say right now."

Deciding the hanyou wasn't going to offer any further explanation, Sango smiled lightly, "Hai, I'll come with you. Are we leaving now?"

"Not yet. Do you know where Kagome is?"

The woman nodded. "She just went in for a nap. We were up late last night exploring the eastern garden with Rin."

"Good. I have to take care of something and then I'll come fetch you. Be ready before the hour is up."

"I'll be waiting," she assured him as he dashed back out the door.

* * * * * 

Her room smelled of cherry blossoms, lavender, and herself. It was a heavenly mixture that Inuyasha knew he could become drunk off of if he stayed too long. Clutching the jewel shard he'd stolen from her dressing table he stood still, allowing the floorboards to cease their creaking so he could listen for signs of her waking. Assured that Kagome was still deep asleep, Inuyasha padded his way to her sleeping form and looked down at her. 

__

Gods, she's beautiful.

Yes, he had to do this quickly before he risked taking her right then and there. He pulled a small scroll secured with a red ribbon from his haori and lay it on her rising chest, his eyes lingering on the region as she expelled her breath and the scroll rolled a bit to the side. Satisfied that it would remain there until she woke, he started toward the door.

"Inu…sha…"

She was dreaming of him? He longed to stay, to hear more of her sleepy murmurings. For a moment he even entertained the idea seriously. That is, until he noticed her eyelids start to flutter. His heart jumped into overdrive when he saw her stretch her arms above her head. She was waking!

The closest door available was still several feet away and would make too much noise. Seeing no other option, Inuyasha dashed to the window at the foot of her bed and leapt to the ground below, praying she didn't see him.

His prayers were half-answered.

"Who—?" Kagome glanced around the room for intruders. Had she imagined it? She was sure she'd seen a red-swathed lump disappear from her window. Sniffing the air, Kagome detected the slight hint of woody musk. That was definitely Inuyasha's scent. Still, it was quite faint. He'd been sitting very close to her at dinner previous night, perhaps she was smelling him on herself? Yes, it must have been her imagination, she decided.

Then she saw the scroll which now rested in her lap. "Or not…"

She eagerly removed the ribbon encasing it and unrolled the parchment to read the delicate calligraphy inside.

__

Turbulent ocean; Rises and falls with the tide; But always returns

No orchid. No cherry tree. This definitely required Sango's explanation. Kagome hugged the scroll to herself as her thoughts drifted back to her strange awakening. Someone had been in her room as she slept, leaving this scroll on her own body. The thought both aroused and terrified her. Then she remembered the scent she'd detected and the red blur that leapt from her window. Could it have been Inuyasha?

Yes, she definitely needed to speak to Sango about this.

* * * * * 

The hanyou and taijiya were several kilometers away from the border of the western lands before Sango finally became fed up with the secrecy. 

"Will you tell me what this is all about now, please?"

It was safe enough, Inuyasha decided. After all, they were moving at top speed, even the birds couldn't hear their conversation. "Hai. I need you to come with me to Kagome's world."

Stunned was an understatement. Sango was shocked. "Kagome's world? Why?"

"Sesshoumaru is putting on the pressure; he expects me to announce my choice of mate in three days when I become the Lord of the Western Lands."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't see that I have much of a choice."

Sango frowned. "What happened to you, Inuyasha? Since when do you bend to the will of others like a whipped slave? To your brother's will, no less!"

"This is bigger than Sesshoumaru," he snapped over his shoulder. "This is my heritage, my father's heritage. I may not have been prepared for this life but it's the life I have to lead."

"So Kagome is just some technicality for you, then?"

"Don't be an idiot!"

"Well?"

"You know I love her."

"You should probably try telling her that, instead of planning her future for her behind her back. Which brings me back to my original question – what's the purpose of our trip?"

Inuyasha dodged a low-hanging branch and took to the sky again, taking the time to center his thoughts. Gazing ahead with an intense ferocity, he answered Sango's question as simply as he could. "You're coming with me to arrange our marriage."

This was certainly an unexpected turn of events. "Arrange your marriage?"

"You didn't expect me to just take her by force, did you?" He was hurt when Sango didn't answer him. "I'm not ready to explain to Kagome about the intent claim, but time is running out. There's an invading army preparing to attack the kingdom and within the next two weeks we'll be at war. Soon, I will ask Kagome to accept me as her mate, but to do so honorably I must seek permission from her family."

Sango was genuinely touched by the normally arrogant and brazen hanyou's treatment of the situation. "What is my role to be in this?"

"The nakado."

"ME?"

"Should I have asked Miroku?"

Good point, she thought. "I suppose not, but I'm hardly a professional matchmaker. I only know what I've seen in other families."

"Works for me," he replied. "Who knows if people in Kagome's time even use them anymore? I'd prefer to go overboard than offend her family." He took in the height of the sun in the western horizon. "If we travel through the night we should make it to the well by noon tomorrow. Will you be okay?"

Sango nodded, "Hai."

With her response, Inuyasha picked up speed and continued toward Kaede's village.

* * * * *

*taikanshiki -- according to my reference, this is the Japanese word for 'coronation'. I would have used the English word but that brought images of crowns and such into my head and I didn't really want to paint that picture. Hope the word is correct…


	10. Insomnia

Angel Expultion7: I wasn't planning on writing anything lemony/limey in this one, but I suppose that might change. I guess that depends on what you consider lime to be. If there is any, it will be at least another three chapters away, and I'll make a note of it at the top. Cool?

****

Chapter Nine

Sango and Inuyasha reached the well as the sun was high in the sky the next day. He knelt down so the taijiya could stand on her own two feet again.

"I thought only you and Kagome could travel through the well?" Sango questioned the hanyou. "How are you planning on getting me there?"

"I have two ideas, the first one involves you hanging on to this--" He held out a small Shikon-no-kakera.

"Where'd you get that?"

Inuyasha blushed. "I stole it from Kagome's collection before we left, and if you ever tell her I was in her room…" He left the threat hanging in the air. 

Sango nodded quickly, "Yes, your secret is safe. If I have a jewel shard I can get through the well?"  


"The centipede demon could," he noted. "It's worth a shot, anyway. If not, then I'll try carrying you through it. If Kagome can get ramen through the well, I don't see why we can't get another person through the same way."

Sounded reasonable enough. Sango walked toward the well, grasping the Shikon shard Inuyasha had given her. "Well, let's get going then."

With a deep breath, Sango swung her legs over the edge and jumped down, followed quickly by Inuyasha.

The sensation was virtually indescribable. She was falling, of that much Sango was aware. There was wind, and some light, but otherwise the vortex seem devoid of any matter. As quickly as it formed, the time rip dissipated and left her crouched on the ground of the same well. No, not the same well, she realized. A more damp, dark well than the one she'd entered. Apparently the jewel shard did its job.

"Daijobou?"

"I'm fine," Sango answered her companion. "Just a little disoriented."

"Yeah, you get used to it," he idly responded. "There's a rope ladder to your right," he pointed.

Grasping blindly for the knotted cord, Sango finally found it and pulled herself into a standing position. She clambered up as quickly as she could and headed toward what she guessed was a door to the outside. Inuyasha came up behind her and pushed it open, letting in the bright noon sun. Both shielded their eyes before stepping out into the shrine courtyard.

"So, what now?"  


Inuyasha shuffled his feet. "I'm not really sure. I've never done this before."

Groaning, Sango peered at the now embarrassed young hanyou. "No plan, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Hearing no response, she picked up her posture and glanced around the unfamiliar space. "Where is Kagome's house?"

Inuyasha looked up enough to point to the front entrance several feet away. "Over there. Her mother and grandfather are usually at home unless they're in the market."

"Ok. You stay out here and behave yourself and I'll go introduce myself to them. After I tell them why I'm here, I'll come get you and we can begin the negotiations, all right?"

"Hai."

Sango laughed inside at the demure way in which he answered her. This could be a lot of fun, she realized. _I'll have to take mental notes to share with Kagome when all of this is over._ Taking a last look at Inuyasha, she walked purposefully toward the front door and began rehearsing her words.

* * * * *

"Hello, can I help you?" Higurashi-san took in the rather odd-looking young woman who stood on her doorstep.

"Higurashi-sama, my name is Sango," she replied respectfully, "I have come here as nakodo to arrange a marriage between your daughter Kagome and the hanyou Inuyasha."

"Kagome? Where is she?" The older woman glanced behind the taijiya, looking for a sign of her daughter.

"She is still in our world, perfectly safe," Sango added quickly, seeing the woman's rising distress. "Kagome-chan is one of my dearest friends."

"Please, come in," Higurashi-san finally invited, remembering her manners. "Kagome sent you here to arrange a marriage alone?" That did not sound like her rather liberated little girl.

"We were on an extended stay in the far west," Sango explained as she followed Kagome's mother into the living room, "and we are on a short time schedule. It would have taken another two days for us all to come."

Mrs. Higurashi considered the young woman before her as she poured a cup of tea. "But still, nothing? Not even a note?"

Sango knew this question would come up. "She doesn't know we're here. Inuyasha wanted your approval before he proposed."

"So where is Inuyasha-kun?"

"I asked him to wait outside while I introduced myself. Shall I call him in for negotiations?"

Higurashi-san nodded, concealing her amusement at the situation. The hanyou wanted to marry her daughter? She didn't know what to say to that, but she was willing to hear him out.

Sango returned quickly from outside, leading an unusually quiet half-demon into the living room.

"Higurashi-sama," he bowed to her.

Such formality! Mrs. Higurashi pointed to a seat for the hanyou and poured another cup of tea. "So you want to steal my daughter away, do you?"  


His eyes shot up from the teacup before him to study the woman's own expression. "Iie! I never intended to steal her from her family!"

The woman laughed at his panic. "I was joking, Inuyasha-kun. Kagome is a bit young for marriage, ne?"

__

Even younger for what I have in mind, he blushed, _at least by her world's standards._

Sango spared the hanyou further embarrassment, as it was her job to do the middle work anyway. "At what age do young women take husbands here?"

"Mid twenties, usually. A few years earlier sometimes, but almost never in their teens. Kagome is only a few weeks away from sixteen."

Ah, this would make things more difficult, Sango realized. Inuyasha seemed to know about this little problem already. He could have at least warned her. "In our time, women are often betrothed before their first blood, and then formally married when they become women. Sixteen is too early for your approval?"

Higurashi-san looked from Sango to Inuyasha and sighed. She knew this day was going to come ever since she'd first seen THAT look in the hanyou's eyes. "Kagome has always been mature for her age," the woman began, "and I'm not such a fool to think I could stop her if she chose to marry."

"I would not accept her without your approval," Inuyasha spoke up with sincerity.

"I know, Inuyasha-kun. You may be a bit wild, but I know you have a good heart, and you have always protected my Kagome. That's why I am considering giving you my blessing."

A small spark of hope lit in Inuyasha's eyes at her words. 

"What are your requirements?" Sango asked the woman.

Before she could speak, Inuyasha sat up straighter and began listing his offerings. "I will soon be a demon of great power, Higurashi-sama. Ruler of the Western Lands. I can bring you anything you want or need --"

"She will finish school," the woman interrupted. "Kagome will finish grade-school and college if she so chooses." 

Sango looked to Inuyasha, and he reluctantly nodded.

"Agreed. What else?"

"When she is finished with school, I want her to visit. She is my only daughter and I cannot bear the idea of losing her completely."

"Of course," Sango smiled, "I don't think we could keep Kagome-chan away from her family for too long."

Mrs. Higurashi wracked her brain for any other demands. This was the time to make them, and she wished she'd thought about the options sooner. "I can't think of anything else right now," she finally admitted.

"I will give you anything," Inuyasha started humbly, "if I may have your blessing."

"All I want is for Kagome to be safe, happy, and healthy."

"On my mother's grave, I swear to do everything in my power to make sure that she is."

What more could she ask for? Higurashi-san sat back and closed her eyes. Grandfather would probably have his own two cents to put in, but the old man was a bit eccentric. If this was the life Kagome wanted, who was she to take it away?

"You have my blessing," she answered quietly.

"I-- You--" Inuyasha stuttered, staring at the woman across from him in disbelief. That had gone well. Too well!

"I will send a note with you for Kagome, and if she accepts your proposal then you may take her as your wife." She stood and almost fell backwards when a red blur enveloped her in a warm, exuberant hug. 

"Arigato, arigato!"

"You're welcome, Inuyasha-kun," she chuckled. He released her instantly, blushing at the show of emotion. "Oh, there is one other thing --"

"Yes?" Sango watched the smile disappear from Inuyasha's face, replaced with a look of apprehension.

"I would like you to marry here as well. I wouldn't want to miss my only daughter's wedding!"

"Hai, of course." He bowed deeply to Kagome's mother and then turned to Sango. "Is there anything else?"

The taijiya took on a thoughtful expression as she recalled the engagement ceremonies she'd witnessed in her youth. "There's the celebratory toast," she finally answered. "But that's not necessary."

Higurashi-san shook her head, a smile on her face. "You should stay for dinner, and we will toast the arrangement then."

"Inu-no-niichan!" Souta bounded into the room and stood tall before his hero. "You've come to visit! Where's Kagome-neichan? Who are you?" Souta turned suddenly to Sango with a questioning look.

"Souta, don't be rude! This is a friend of Kagome's from the Sengoku Jidai."

"Hello!"

"Ah, Souta-kun," Sango smiled. "Kagome has told me so much about you."

"Probably about what a brat she thinks I am," he grumbled.

Inuyasha snorted a laugh, earning him a glare from Sango.

"Souta," Mrs. Higurashi called her son into the kitchen, "go fetch Jiichan and tell him to bring in a bottle of sake from the storehouse. We're celebrating tonight."

"Hai!"

* * * * *

Kagome didn't know which was more strange: that Inuyasha had left her and Miroku behind without so much as a word of explanation, or that he apparently took Sango with him. She finally decided they were equally weird circumstances and came to sit beside the houshi who was deep in meditation.

When he finally opened his eyes, Miroku glanced at Kagome. "Something wrong?"  


"You're sure you don't know where they went?"

Miroku shook his head. "Her note said that they went on an errand for the next two or three days and that we should just relax and enjoy the time off."

"Hm."

"It's late, Kagome-sama. You should really get some sleep."

"Hai," she agreed. "Oyasumi nasai, Miroku."

"Good night, Kagome-sama."

Sleep didn't come. Kagome turned from her left to her right side, then flipped onto her back for the fifteenth time that night. It had to be close to three in the morning, by her estimation. Why couldn't she sleep?

Annoyed with the situation, Kagome rolled off the futon and wrapped herself in a long cloak from her dressing table. A walk around the castle would surely tire her out, she decided.

The halls were dark, damp, and a little eerie at this late hour. She could hear the wooden planks creak as they settled in the cool night air, giving the impression that ghosts were walking about. A breeze howled behind her, chilling her even further. Shivering, Kagome turned down a windowless hallway and leaned up against the firm wall there. A low growl from several feet away caught her attention.

Peering into the dimly lit hallway beyond, she made out a tall form dressed in white, hunched over in apparent pain. 

"Sesshoumaru, is that you?"  


He jumped a little at the girl's voice, but otherwise ignored her, hoping she'd take the hint and go away. No such luck.

"Daijobou?" She came up beside him and knelt down, putting all thoughts of danger aside. 

"It's nothing," he growled at her. "Just go back to bed."

"I can't sleep," she answered him, hesitantly reaching out a hand to touch the inuyoukai's arm. "You're in pain, I can see it."

"It will pass." He spared a sidelong look at the young human woman beside him, wondering why she was being so kind to him after all the attempts he'd made on her and Inuyasha's lives. "Why can't you sleep?"  


Kagome shrugged. "I guess I'm wondering where Inuyasha and Sango-chan disappeared to. It's not like Sango to run off without any explanation."

Feeling the sharp pain in his abdomen abate, Sesshoumaru rose to a standing position and looked down at Kagome. "Inuyasha told me he'd be back before the taikanshiki. You shouldn't worry so much."

"Do you still hate him?"  


Sesshoumaru's eyes widened at the impertinent being before him. "What is it to you, human?"  


Kagome rose, and took a small step back. "You're brothers. I think it's sad that you can't love each other, even at a time like this."

The demon lord actually laughed, though it was filled with mirth. "Not everything in the world is cheerful and light, little girl."

Her eyes narrowing, Kagome placed both hands on her hips and glared up at the demon. "I know that! Still, this is hardly the time to worry about old grudges. What would your father say?"

"You have no right to speak of my father!" he roared at her.

Kagome stood her ground and continued. "I think he'd be very disappointed that his two sons can barely be civil to one another, and only when one of them is near death."

Sesshoumaru turned away from her, focusing his stare into the darkness beyond. He said nothing.

Sighing, Kagome moved to walk back to her room.

"Have you seen the library, human?"

"Eh?" Kagome turned back to Sesshoumaru and found him watching her.

"There are some books about our family that you might find interesting," he went on stoically. "I will show you where to find them."

Kagome smiled, and walked back to him. "Arigato, Sesshoumaru-sama. That would be kind of you."


	11. Dance Lessons

Hello all!

Either fanficiton.net is lying, or it's being mean. According to the screen, I have over 65 reviews, but I can only access up to 54 online. Why do you care, you ask? Because I hate writing without reading the input others have taken the time to give me. After all, never know when I might be missing some constructive criticism or good advice. That's why I've been so slow in updating today.

However, I will be busy all day Sunday, and out of town all day Monday and I can't wait that long. So if you've sent a review that you expected an answer/reply to and feel ignored, blame ff.net. I am continuing this story :-)

Oh another important note, and then I promise I'll go on to the story. Dancing. As far as I could tell the traditional Japanese dances are pretty much solo and done by women. That didn't work for this story. I'll give the explanation for the western-style dancing in the story but it's pretty weak. Let's just call it artistic license, ok?

On to chapter ten…

****

Chapter Ten

"Left foot, dear, LEFT." The old woman sighed and motioned for the musicians to stop. "Kagome-chan, are you even listening to me?" 

Blushing, Kagome looked down at her feet, wondering if perhaps she had two left ones instead of a left and right pair. She'd always considered herself a good dancer, why was she having so much trouble now?

"You told me you've danced before," Yoshida-san scolded the girl.

"I have! But we don't dance like this where I come from. Not most people, anyway."

Ah yes, the lord had said the girl came from some strange other place even he knew not where. 

"Well if you want to make a good impression at tomorrow's taikanshiki ball, you will have to dance comfortably."

Yes, Kagome wanted to make a good impression, especially on a certain inu-hanyou who she was growing more and more suspicious of.

The haiku had stopped arriving the moment he left. Granted, it had only been two nights but still, coincidence? Kagome couldn't even prod Sango for her opinion.

"This dancing style," the old woman continued speaking as Kagome's mind wandered, "was brought by the Christian missionaries from the foreign lands to the west. Since we are the western kingdom, we were among the first to learn this form. It lacks the harmony of our more traditional dance, which is perhaps why you have such difficulty with it."

Kagome nodded, not really caring for the culture lesson.

"Shall we continue?"

The young miko sighed and nodded. Her dance partner, a young servant boy by the name of Yukio, came back to stand before her and positioned his hands with a blush. The music started and Kagome ran through the steps in her mind. _One two three, back front step side two three…_

"Much better," Yoshida praised her as she made a complete turn around the banquet hall. "Keep focusing on the music and forget about your feet--"

"Ouch!" Yukio jumped back a bit, then shot an apologetic look at the girl who'd been in his arms. He didn't dare insult her; Sesshoumaru was known for swift punishment.

"G-gomen ne," Kagome stammered.

"Keh! Can't even dance right," Inuyasha chided her from a distance.

Of course he had to come back NOW. The gods must hate her, Kagome decided. "And I suppose YOU'RE Fred Astaire?" she shot back in annoyance. 

"Fred As-who?"

"Nevermind."

The old woman clapped her hands together, coming to stand between the hanyou and her student, dismissing the injured servant boy. "She was doing quite well for her first lesson, Lord Inuyasha. I think a few more hours and she will be quite ready for the banquet tomorrow."

He shot another "keh" at the two women and folded his arms into his haori.

Positioning herself in front of Kagome, Yoshida-san nodded for the music to change tempo and nudged Kagome to continue. This song was a little slower, giving Kagome time to adjust to the changing directions with ease. Dancing with another woman, and an older one at that, was just… odd. Her movements, while technically perfect, lacked grace and emotion.

"Bah, move aside old woman," Inuyasha ordered impatiently as the dancing pair passed again.

She obeyed and Inuyasha took her place, leading Kagome for a second loop around the room.

The girl felt her cheeks grow hot at the proximity. She swore she could feel his heart beating… "I didn't know you could dance," Kagome whispered in awe.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, wench," he snapped back, choosing that moment to execute a swirl which effectively tripped up his dance partner. He caught her before she fell and after a moment's hesitation, up righted her. "I did live in this castle for a few years before my mother and I were exiled. Even after we left, she made sure I learned the finer points of etiquette."

"But then why--"

"Because I find it silly," he interrupted. "Why so much pretense? If I want something, I ask, and if I need something, I take it."

They were so wrapped up in their conversation they didn't realize that Kagome hadn't made a single misstep since they'd started.

"Beautiful," Yoshida cooed at the pair. "Simply wonderful! You will make a nice couple."

At her words, Inuyasha abruptly halted and dropped his hands from their positions on Kagome's body. He took a few steps back, staring at the questioning gaze in her eyes.

"I-- I am due to see my brother," he lied. "Keep practicing and maybe you will be fit to dance in public," he shot at her harshly.

Kagome could only stare after him as he raced out of the hall into the darkness beyond. Yoshida-san came up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her from her shock. "A bit rude, isn't he?"

The miko could only nod in response.

* * * * * 

Sango felt the dread well up in her stomach as she saw Kagome approaching her. There were questions on the horizon.

"Sango-chan!"

"Kagome-chan, how have you been?"

"Wonderful. Now tell me where you went!"

"I can't."

Frowning, Kagome cocked her head to the side and peered at her friend. "I thought we were best friends? You can't keep those kinds of things a secret!"

Matching the younger woman's frown, Sango shook her head. "I was sworn to secrecy, Kagome-chan. I'm sorry."

She wanted to beg, but Kagome knew it would get her nowhere. Ok, change of subject. "Did you have time to find a kimono for tomorrow night? I never did get to the marketplace so I thought maybe we could go together."

Sango nodded. "Hai, we can go early before the ceremony."

"Not likely," Miroku came up behind them, eager to get rid of the young miko and spend some time alone with his 'wife' who'd been gone for two whole days. "The entire marketplace is closing down for the event. I believe the servants stocked your closets with a selection in advance," he said when he saw the panicked look on the girls' faces.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagome smiled. "Oh good. I was starting to think I'd have to wash my dinner kimono tonight!" She glanced from the taijiya to the houshi and suddenly felt like a third wheel. "Well! My, my is it late. I think I'm going to go to bed now. Good night Sango-chan, good night Miroku!" She backed away quickly and fairly flitted down the hall to her own room. "At least some people aren't alone tonight," she mused.

Once in her room, Kagome's eyes fell on the futon. If her hypothesis was correct, then she would have another note tonight. Of course, Kagome thought to herself, the mere idea was ludicrous. Inuyasha? Her secret admirer? Please!

Yet, there it was. Not a small piece of parchment or a scroll this time. It was origami. A lover's knot! Her heart clenched in anticipation. She carefully undid the complex folding and smoothed out the paper on the bed before her. According to her reading the other night, if the sender made a mark on the edge, it was used to ensure that no one else had opened the note. That meant its contents were quite intimate -- reserved only for the recipient. She scanned the paper for such a mark and found it in the form of a small orchid drawing. She smiled and her heart raced.

__

The tide has come in  
Cherry tree stands tall and proud  
Waiting patiently  
For orchid to respond to  
His promise of love

There was more on the back, by far the longest -- and most touching -- love note she'd received in her entire life. Kagome realized instantly that this wasn't a poem, but a request.

__

I will announce myself to you at the gala tomorrow, beautiful Orchid. I ask only for a dance with you, if you will have me.

~ Cherry Tree 

Her eyes glued to the paper, a million thoughts raced through Kagome's mind. Was it Inuyasha? He'd told her just hours before that he was educated in his youth. He'd also told her he found such niceties pointless. Then again, who else would have sent her the haiku? If it was Inuyasha, what would she say to him? How would their relationship change?

She fell back onto the bed, the note fluttering to the floor beside her. Another thought sent her shooting back up. She hadn't found a gown for the ceremony! Kagome raced from the futon to her closet and felt her stomach drop when she saw it was empty. Had the servants remembered Sango but forgotten her? It was too late to call for Rin; the girl was growing and needed her sleep.

In distress, Kagome searched the room for the orchid kimono she'd worn at the aristocrats' dinner and became even more panicked when the dress was missing. Now what?

Then her eyes fell upon the chair at her dressing table. A large wrapped bundle lay there with another note on top. This one was signed, but in a handwriting more sharp and jagged than the delicate calligraphy of her admirer.

__

These gowns are all that remain of Inuyasha's mother's  
wardrobe. I am sure he would be happy to see you   
putting them to good use. There are three altogether,  
choose whichever suits you.

Sesshoumaru

Unpacking the bundle, Kagome found all three kimonos carefully folded and organized. The first was in a deep red color with the family crest. Gorgeous, but too intimate, she decided. The second was white with small cherry blossoms along the bottom and right side. Too bland, she thought. Lifting the third from the bottom of the pile, she shook it out and gave it an appraising gaze. It was a lovely shade of blue, which complemented her brown eyes, and had a beautiful pattern of tree branches embracing pale yellow orchids. This was the one. Kagome felt she couldn't have chosen a better gown if she'd had thousands to select from.

Satisfied with her attire and feeling the fatigue from her hours of dance practice, Kagome lay the kimono gently onto the dressing table and walked back to her futon. A good night's rest and she would be ready to meet her admirer. She sent a silent prayer up to the heavens that it was Inuyasha's arms she'd be dancing in tomorrow night, and fell asleep.


	12. Taikanshiki

Okay, okay. I couldn't help myself. I was GOING to be a good girl, get some work done, and not write again until Tuesday. Especially since I have some 50-odd reviews that I can't access and want to read first… *sob*

I can only hope that the last couple of chapters have been well received. If not, I might make changes later. Before I forget, it looks like this is going to be a couple chapters longer than my original prediction. The whole "asking Kagome's mom for permission" thing was a spur-of-the-moment idea and took up a couple of chapters so now I'm estimating fourteen.

Ready for Kagome-angst? I think she's been a little too happy so far…

****

Chapter Eleven

"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome glanced around the dining hall, her breakfast forgotten for the moment.

Sango shook her head. "Not sure, but I believe he is with Sesshoumaru getting some last minute instructions." She pushed her empty bowl away and smiled at the young woman. "Ready for the ceremony?"

"Hai," she smiled back, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Even if her admirer wasn't the hanyou she hoped he was, it was Inuyasha's special day and that was enough to send her spirits soaring. She only wished she could spend more time with him. Despite his particularly mean behavior in the last week, she missed the private moments that had become entirely too rare lately.

The object of her musings was, indeed, speaking with Sesshoumaru.

"Can you get out of bed?" Inuyasha worried. Not that he cared about his evil brother's health in the least. Or so he told himself. No, he was more concerned about going through this particularly ostentatious ceremony and after-gala alone. 

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. "I've sent Jaken to fetch an herbal tea. I'll be resting until noon, and then we will go to the shrine and commence with the taikanshiki." As he finished his sentence, the toad demon vassal slipped into his master's room and deposited two cups of tea on his bedside table.

"Two?"

Jaken nodded. "Sesshoumaru-sama ordered a medicinal blend for you as well."

The hanyou regarded his brother with distrust. "I'm not poisoned."

"Not by miasma," he agreed. "Your blood is raging, Inuyasha. I can sense it. This recipe was handed down to me by my nursemaid from Father. It should calm your blood a great deal. However, as the heat intensifies even this potion will be of little use to you. It may buy you an additional week. No more."

Lifting the tea cautiously, Inuyasha sniffed its contents. He recognized some of the scents as chamomile, turmeric, and … aloe? His nose scrunched in distaste.

Sesshoumaru growled. "I have nothing to gain by poisoning you, Inuyasha. Turn your nose up at it if you wish but that human wench of yours will be raped by the end of the day if you do."

Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha sucked back the vile liquid and coughed when he'd finished. "How much do I need?"

Jaken answered for his master, tucking the blankets around Sesshoumaru tightly. "Two cups a day right now, up to one an hour in a few days."

Yummy.

A thought entered Inuyasha's mind and he turned to his brother. "Wait a minute. If I'm only hanyou and affected this strongly… you have no mate… what the hell is up with that?"

"Just because I have no mate does not mean I never did." He closed his eyes in memory. "She was one of the last inuyoukai females wandering the land, and she was glorious. I took her in my eighteenth summer, but she was barren."

"What happened to her?"

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes again and Inuyasha could swear he saw the glisten of unshed tears in them. That small, dusty part of his heart thrummed again at his elder brother's obvious pain. "She was destroyed in an attack by the prince of the nekoyoukai. He sought revenge for the death of his brother in the war against our country."

"You never took another mate."

"How could I? You know as well as I that those bonds are rarely broken, even in death."

Inuyasha's thoughts went to Kikyou. Yes, those bonds were hard to break; but not impossible. Especially when the female in question was unmarked.

"Father never marked your mother," Inuyasha commented more than questioned. "Why?"

Sesshoumaru growled. Such impertinence! The hanyou was still waiting for an answer. "He was in need, not in love. He waited as you did, but unlike you he hadn't met a female he considered worthy. My mother was also in heat. It was never meant to be more than a small tryst, but then I came along…"

Inuyasha nodded, understanding the situation fully. "It would have been wrong to leave her with a bastard son," he realized.

"Yes. So she became first wife, but not mate."

"And my mother…"

"You were always the favorite son, Inuyasha. Why do you insist on bringing up these things?"  


Remorse was not a new sensation to Inuyasha. Yet feeling it towards Sesshoumaru… THAT was different. He hung his head. "Gomen ne, Sesshoumaru. I never knew."

"You were a spoiled brat," he growled. "How could you know?" He closed his eyes again and forced himself to calm. "Those years alone," he finally spoke, "changed you. Made you stronger. You aren't the same pampered puppy you were when you lived here with Father."

Inuyasha's eyes rose in surprise. Was Sesshoumaru praising him?

"Your wench and I had a little talk while you were away," he continued. "She reminded me that there are things more important than personal pride. Father would have wanted us to stand side-by-side, not as enemies." He turned again to regard the hanyou beside him. "I regret not having the opportunity to know you better, Brother."

This sounded eerily like a deathbed confession. Inuyasha was having none of it. "Quit talking like a dead man, Baka. Jaken, get some more medicine for your master." He hesitantly lifted a hand to rest it on Sesshoumaru's own. "Get some rest. I'll be waiting for you at high noon."

* * * * *

Grimacing, Sesshoumaru made his way up the steps to the shrine altar, putting all his strength into appearing perfectly healthy and normal. Inside, his muscles were already starting to atrophy and his less vital organs were failing. Inuyasha fought the temptation to steady him as Sesshoumaru came to stand beside him.

The ceremony was simple enough. The shrine priest read a passage from a parchment scroll, reciting the laws of the land that permitted this exchange of power and the specific duties to which Inuyasha was agreeing. He anointed the hanyou with blessed water before asking for Inuyasha to recite the oath of his office.

He recalled each word perfectly, then turned to face his brother. They exchanged the ritual scroll, signifying transfer of authority. As far as Inuyasha knew, the ceremony was over. He sighed, relieved it had passed without incident.

"One more thing." Sesshoumaru reached to his side and unbuckled the belt that held Tenseiga. Bowing before his new lord, he offered the katana to his brother, laying it across both hands.

"You-- you're giving me Tenseiga?" Inuyasha was stunned.

"I have no use for it," Sesshoumaru pointed out. "It should remain in our family, and I know you will protect it."

After a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha gripped the live-giving fang and felt it pulse beneath his claws. He lifted it from Sesshoumaru's hands and studied it intently. Tenseiga was reminiscent of Tetsusaiga, which was currently resting at the hanyou's side. This blade, commissioned by his father for his brother, would rest forever with it's partner. He tied the belt around his ceremonial white hakama and bowed to his brother. The taikanshiki was complete.

The three of them -- Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and the priest -- filed out of the shrine past the crowd of aristocrats and VIP onlookers. Inuyasha felt his heart leap a bit as he passed Kagome, but chose to avoid meeting her eyes, lest his blood fever rage beyond control in such a public and solemn place.

Kagome watched him pass, and dropped her eyes in disappointment. It was like he didn't even know she existed. _Grow up,_ she admonished herself. _This is hardly the time or place for flirting. He'll have plenty of time to talk to you later._ Calmed by these thoughts, she put a smile back on her face and turned to Sango. "Time for the gala, ne Sango-chan?"

"Someone's excited," the older girl teased. The crowd began to break up and file out of the shrine, following their new lord to the site of the taikanshiki gala.

* * * * *

He'd been talking to strangers for hours, Kagome thought sadly. Maybe he really HAD forgotten her. Taking a small cup of sake from a tray being carried around by one of the servants, she swallowed it in one most unladylike gulp. And sputtered. Alcohol was bad, she decided.

She glanced around the room again, feeling horribly out of place. Wasn't she supposed to be his concubine in this little charade? Why was no one speaking to her? For that matter, what of her secret admirer?

With each passing hour Kagome had given up small shreds of hope that Inuyasha felt for her even half of what she felt for him. Still, someone had written those beautiful haiku, right? Someone who wanted a dance with her. She was starting to feel sour about all the time she'd wasted learning to dance only to stand like a wallflower at the edge of the ballroom all night.

Well, not completely wasted, she admitted. After all, for a few wonderful moments she'd been in his arms, gliding over the floor with him. This thought warmed her a little, until a loud cackle broke through her reverie. She stared in the direction of the ungodly noise and found a rather large and gaudily dressed woman standing before Inuyasha. He smiled back politely, responding to some asinine comment the woman had made. Kagome almost looked away when she caught his eyes.

Inuyasha stared at her, tuning out the prattling aristocrat before him and tried to send Kagome what he hoped was an apologetic look. He hadn't spoken a single word to her all day, and the night was quickly drawing to a close. If he didn't get away from the crowd of anxious well-wishers he'd lose his chance.

Sesshoumaru noticed his younger brother's discomfort and leaned in to him. "Inuyasha, you are ignoring Tanaka-sama," he whispered.

"Excuse me, Lady Tanaka," Inuyasha interrupted her comments about the travesty of ill-maintained grassland along the northern border of his kingdom to turn to his brother. "I've been speaking to these people for hours, Sesshoumaru. You want me to take Kagome as my mate, right? How can I do that if I can't even talk to her?" His eyes, which had been fixed on Kagome the entire time, adjusted their focus to rest on his brother.

Sesshoumaru straightened, and held up a hand to get the attention of the murmuring guests. "Lord Inuyasha must be excused for a time. He has some pressing personal business to attend to." At their groans, he cleared his throat and shook his head, bridging no further dissent. "He will return again before the evening ends, but I ask that you respect his privacy for the time being." He motioned to Jaken with a secret signal and then turned back to the crowd. "I believe the dining room is serving some delicacies from the Northern Lands, if you will please follow my vassal…"

"Arigato, Brother," Inuyasha thanked Sesshoumaru before dashing off in the direction he'd last seen Kagome. Only, she was gone.

* * * * *

__

He was whispering about me! Kagome felt hot tears streaming down her face as she blindly made her way to the abandoned courtyard outside the ballroom. 

She'd seen Inuyasha's apologetic look, but gravely misinterpreted it to be one of pity. He was a great lord of a powerful kingdom now. What did he need with a silly fifteen-year-old from the future? He would undoubtedly find a lovely young woman of high breeding and take her as his wife.

"And so much for my secret admirer," she spat bitterly to no one in particular. "Someone's idea of a cruel joke!"

* * * * *

"Sango!" Inuyasha rushed up to the taijiya who was standing a safe distance away from Miroku, glaring at the monk.

"Inuyasha!" She smiled at him, ignoring the lecher before her. "Having a good time? I can't believe Sesshoumaru just handed over Tenseiga like that --"

"Where's Kagome?" he cut her off in a rush, eyes darting around the room in a futile attempt to locate her.

"Kagome-chan?" Her smile faded at the distressed look in the hanyou's eyes. "I don't know. Last I saw she was standing over by the orchestra. Probably waiting for her 'secret admirer'," she chuckled.

Inuyasha wasn't laughing. He sniffed the air, cursing the crowds and food that covered her scent. "I think she's upset with me," he sniffed again, and closed his eyes when he caught a faint whiff of her mixed with the unmistakable saltwater of tears. "No -- I KNOW she's upset." Without saying another word, he followed his nose out to the courtyard at top speed.

* * * * * 

Wiping the back of her hand across her cheeks, Kagome forced herself to stop crying. The night was almost over and then she could go to bed and sleep it off. In the morning, she'd ask Sango to lend her Kirara and she'd go home.

"Kagome, I found you."

Inuyasha saw the miko jump a little at his voice, but she continued to face away from him. He stepped closer to her, coming up a mere five feet behind her, and noticed for the first time the kimono she was wearing. His mother's kimono. She looked absolutely stunning in it.

"Kagome?"

He wasn't going to leave her alone, Kagome realized. Wiping a few more tears, she attempted to plaster a smile on her face and failed. She'd have to settle for neutrality. Kagome turned to face him. "Yes?"

His heart wanted to break at the sign of her tears. Tears he'd no doubt been the cause of.

"I came to collect."

"Collect?"

"The dance I asked for."

Her eyes widened, and Inuyasha began to smile. "I would have asked earlier, but I was kinda stuck with those annoying baka in there and--"

"YOU were my secret admirer?" Even as she spoke the words Kagome couldn't believe them. She'd considered the possibility. Hoped for it. Still, she'd never succeeded in convincing herself it could be true.

"Of course, who else?" He stepped closer and was relieved she didn't back away.

"But… since when do you write love poetry?"

"Since I had someone to love."

His words were lost on Kagome as a million questions lined up in her head to come racing out of her mouth. "You were so mean to me!"

"I had to be."

"Why?"

"To prepare you."

"For what?" She wore a look of incredulity.

Inuyasha blushed. "To be my mate."

Kagome was speechless.

__

Now, or never.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and grabbed her left arm gently, lifting her sleeve to reveal the short scar of his intent claim. He rubbed his thumb over it lightly, smiling inside. "I don't suppose you know why I did this?"

Kagome, still speechless, shook her head.

"I didn't really know why myself when I did it. I didn't mean to, but we were fighting, and you were so close to me I couldn't help myself…" He sighed, and dropped her arm, his eyes coming to gaze into her own. "That scratch is what is known among youkai as an 'intent claim'. It signifies that you have been chosen as a youkai male's mate, though he has not taken you yet." 

Another step closer and Inuyasha was well within Kagome's personal space. He felt her shiver. "I knew I was attracted to you, Kagome. I knew that my time was coming and that eventually I would have to take you as mine or send you away, but I was too selfish to make that decision. So that day, my instincts took over and made the decision for me."

Finally finding her voice, Kagome spoke. "What does that mean?"

"It means, in your terms, that I want to make you my wife, Higurashi Kagome."

The words Kagome had been dreaming of hearing since she was a little girl playing house. From the lips of the first man she'd ever loved, no less. Kagome didn't know what to say -- she was in shock. All the anger she'd been swallowing over the last week came bubbling to the surface and she found herself shouting.

"What about Kikyou?!"

"What about her?"

"You tell me!"

He sighed. "She's a hollow clay representation of the woman I loved. She's not a living breathing person like you, Kagome. She could never have pups."

Those were the wrong words to say, and Inuyasha realized it as soon as they left his lips.

"Oh, and I can so that makes this true love, right?"

"NO!"

She ignored him and continued ranting. "Thanks, but no thanks Inuyasha. I'm not here to be your baby machine!"

"Baby machine?" He tried to figure that one out until he noticed Kagome was stalking away from him. He grabbed her arm a little more roughly than he'd intended, whipping her around to face him again. "That's not what I meant!"

"What about my family?" Kagome shot at him, deciding to drop the Kikyou angle for the moment. "Do you honestly expect me to just marry you without so much as a word to my mother and stay here like some obedient little… little… little CONCUBINE?"

He flinched, but shook his head. "Of course not! I already asked your mother and she gave me her blessing."

That stopped her cold. "You asked my mother?"

He nodded, relieved that she'd stopped screaming at him. Deciding Kagome wasn't going to run off again, he let go of her and reached into his haori, pulling out the envelope Higurashi-san had given him. "When I left three days ago, it was to ask your mother for your hand." He thrust the note toward her. "She gave me this letter to give to you."

Kagome took the letter, but didn't open it. She searched his face for … something. He was looking back at her with an impossible mixture of hope and dread in his eyes. "I don't know what to say," she finally admitted. "I need to think about all this."

Inuyasha sighed. At least she hadn't rejected him completely. "Hai." She watched him for a few more seconds before turning away and fleeing the courtyard.

* * * * *

Kagome was moments away from her room when she heard footsteps racing behind her.

"Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan!" Sango panted as she ran to catch up with her friend. Blessedly, Kagome stopped and waited for her. Seeing the emptiness in the girl's eyes, Sango stepped back. "Kagome? What's wrong?"  


She was angry. "You knew about this."

"Knew about what?"

"THIS." Kagome yanked up her sleeve and pointed to the intent claim. "You knew about that, and you knew that Inuyasha wanted me to become his mate. You probably even knew that he was the one sending me the haiku!"

Sango bowed her head.

"That's what I thought. You knew, and you kept it from me. Let me worry and wonder like an idiot while you and Inuyasha and Miroku got to laugh at me behind my back."

"No! It wasn't like that!" Feeling remorse, Sango blinked and took a step closer to her friend. "Inuyasha was afraid," she said.

"Afraid of what?"

"That you'd reject him! He may be strong on the outside but inside, he's not much more than a scared little boy. You of all people should know that."

Kagome snorted and looked away.

"He wanted to do everything right for you, he just didn't know how," Sango continued. "Sesshoumaru kept putting on the pressure for him to complete his claim, but Inuyasha knew you wouldn't appreciate being pounced on like an animal." She chucked a little, recalling the events of the last few days. "Poor guy even tried to get advice from Miroku!"

Not wanting to let her friend off the hook too easily, Kagome hid the small giggle that tried to escape her.

"He loves you, Kagome. He's just a little dense about how to show it."

"Why now?"

Sango was dreading this question. Still, she knew she could probably answer it better than the hanyou. "Biology, instinct, and the situation with Sesshoumaru. Mostly, I think those were excuses to do what he's been wanting to do for a while now."

"If that's true, then why didn't he ever say anything to me before? Why has he been such an ass these last few days?"

"That's something for Inuyasha to explain," she answered the girl. "Please, don't judge him too harshly; he's been through so much…"

"So have I," Kagome ground out. She let out a deep breath and turned to regard Sango again. "I'm still not happy with you -- and I'm definitely upset with Inuyasha -- but I forgive you. Just… let me go to my room. I need time to think."

Nodding, Sango stepped back and watched as Kagome walked toward her room. When the girl was finally out of sight, she turned back to the ballroom to rejoin the lecherous houshi she knew was waiting on her.


	13. Her Answering Smirk

I finally started getting reviews in last night after I'd started writing this chapter. So happy! Just wanted to apologize for the delay -- work stuff has been particularly demanding lately and I was out of town all day on Monday so I haven't had a lot of time to write. I know a lot of you got used to the fast updates and I myself hate waiting more than a day so again, I'm sorry!

There will be some pure fluff soon, and what I hope is intense drama between Inu and Sess as well, so stay tuned.

On with the angst!

Chapter Twelve

The new lord was temperamental, to put it mildly. Kindness and understanding were not expected of demon lords, but at least they kept their tempers in check with a kind of cold stoicism. Usually.

"Inuyasha-sama," Hatoyama cleared his throat and glanced at the other advisors around the room before speaking, "perhaps it would be best if we sent a good-will envoy to the Eastern Kingdom?"

"Good-will envoy?" Inuyasha could sense the tension coming off his brother, who sat in observant silence behind him.

"Yes, an ambassador, a few aides, perhaps some lovely maidens," added Fujimoto.

The hanyou narrowed his eyes in barely concealed disgust at the advisors surrounding him. "A peacekeeping mission. To the nekoyoukai."

"It might keep them from attacking."

"You are demons, right?"

The ministers looked at each other in confusion. "L-lord Inuyasha?"

Ignoring their questioning stares, Inuyasha turned to Sesshoumaru and shook his head, sighing. "Please tell me this is some kind of practical joke?" When no answer was forthcoming, he turned his focus back to the conference table and stood up. 

"Never in my family's ruling history have we yielded to fear," he ground out firmly. "Sixty-three years ago the nekoyoukai invaded our country, and sixty-three years ago my father lead our greatest warriors in battle to defeat their forces. What kind of demons are you? You shrink back from battle like pups from a bath!"

Several of the men occupied themselves with their clothing, or found intense interest in the wood grain of the table before them. Hatoyama stood opposite his leader in pleading insubordination. "Yes, Milord, and for the sixty-three years between that great war and the one we prepare for today, the Eastern Lands have been structuring their armies, enhancing their weaponry, building up a great store of supplies and military knowledge--"

"And what has OUR kingdom been doing in this time?" Inuyasha interrupted the man furiously. "Twiddling our thumbs and debating the finer points of sake production?"

Matsumoto, minister of the treasury, pulled Hatoyama down to sit, shooting him a warning glare. Angering the brazen young lord would accomplish nothing. When he'd subdued his comrade, he faced Inuyasha and spoke in a voice laced with polite respect. "Inuyasha-sama, we have a well-trained army and the finest weapons arsenal of the five demon kingdoms. It is the spirit of the people that falters."

"Oh, I see. The people are depressed so we're going to send a few fruit baskets to the West and beg them, 'please don't hurt us!'" His line was delivered with the utmost condescension, and punctuated with his quickly dropping back to sit at the head of the table. He was not in the mood for this. Massaging his fingers into his temples, Inuyasha finally raised a hand in a dismissing wave.

"Enough for today. I will announce my decision tomorrow."

The council members rose from their positions at the table, murmuring amongst themselves speculation about their young lord's ability to rule. Inuyasha tuned them out, finally glaring at Sesshoumaru when the last of them had filed from the room, leaving only the two brothers and Miroku in the great hall.

"These are your most highly regarded advisors?"

Sesshoumaru remained unmoving, but spoke in a quiet voice. "They are noblemen with short memories."

"They are wimps!"

"Some battles are best fought with words, Inuyasha," Miroku offered sagely.

"Keh!"

Sesshoumaru smirked at that, quickly stifling the reaction as he moved to sit in one of the chairs opposite Inuyasha. "You've been particularly on edge, Inuyasha."

"Has Kagome-sama spoken to you yet?"

The hanyou's growl was answer enough.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, considering his brother's situation. "Perhaps it would be advisable to begin introducing you to eligible demon females."

"No."

Ignoring the fierce look in Inuyasha's eyes, Sesshoumaru continued to voice the thoughts in his head. "Or if you find demon women so distasteful," he frowned at the thought, "then we might find you a suitable human wench in the villages."

"You could bring back Kikyou," Miroku commented, studying his friend for a reaction.

A soft voice wafted across the room, startling the three males from their conference.

"You could use Tenseiga."

The hanyou swiftly stood, nearly knocking back the table before him. "Kagome…"

The young woman walked deeper into the room, it's soft torchlight making a somber expression of her features. "Imagine what being mated to a powerful miko would do for your reputation here."

He leapt over the table and landed within arms reach of her, nonetheless pushing back his growing desire to pull her into his embrace. His eyes filled with the bleak desperation he'd been holding inside for the last two days, searching her face for a sign of hope. "I don't want Kikyou."

"Liar."

"Ahem," Sesshoumaru stood up, motioning for the houshi to follow him as he walked toward the doorway from which Kagome had entered. "If you will excuse us…" The door slammed with a heavy thud, finally leaving only Kagome and Inuyasha in the conference hall.

"You don't trust me."

Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief at his words. "Do you blame me?" She barked out a laugh and regarded the despondent hanyou before her. "For the last year you've been toying with me. Protecting me from danger one minute, running to Kikyou the next. In one moment you're hugging me, and a few seconds later you're telling me that I'm pathetically weak. I start to believe we are friends, and then you so kindly remind me that I am nothing more than a shard gathering tool. What exactly am I supposed to trust, Inuyasha?"

"I did what I thought I had to do."

"Care to explain that?" She crossed her arms over her chest, daring him to go on.

She was almost surprised when he rose to the challenge.

"I didn't know what I wanted at first," he admitted to her, turning to avoid her stare as he gathered up the words he'd been practicing since the night of the taikanshiki. "When I met you, you were this annoying baka wench. The only reason I kept you near me was this damned rosary." He tugged at the beads that surrounded his neck, the memory of his hatred melting into nostalgia. "It didn't take long for me to warm up to you. You've got such an open spirit Kagome, it's hard not to like you."

The miko refused to let this one compliment weaken her resolve. She huffed, shifting her weight from her left to her right leg, and waited for him to continue.

"At first I thought I was just lonely, and that your resemblance to Kikyou drew me to you." Sensing a hint of anger in her at this, he quickly went on, "but that changed when Urasae brought her back. I realized quickly that you and Kikyou were very different. I was torn between what could be and what could have been. Then there was the guilt…"

"Guilt?"

He nodded, still not ready to look her in the eyes. "I lived, she didn't." Sighing, he shook the ache from his heart and ploughed on, "I got over it, Kagome. A lot sooner than you probably realize, too. I knew I wanted to be with you, no matter what I had promised to Kikyou. I knew in my heart I would always put you first."

"You've always been mean to me, Inuyasha. You've tried to make me feel inadequate…worthless."

"I know." This last admission, silent as a breeze and filled with regret, forced Inuyasha to face her again. "As I said, I did what I had to do."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Kagome repeated her question from their original discussion, hoping for a real answer this time.

"I'm a bit of a legend now, aren't I?" He didn't wait for her response, but flashed her a lopsided grin before continuing. "Even as my 'shard detector' you've been kidnapped -- what? -- ten times in the last year? Can you imagine what would happen if word got out that you were more to me? That you were my mate?"

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling his thoughts together. "I need you to be safe, but I can't guarantee that I'll always be there. The less attention other youkai give you, the better."

"What about lately? You've been even more of an ass than normal!"

"It's really hard to be friendly and polite around a person who sets you on fire with a mere look, Kagome." At her puzzled expression he stepped closer to her, grabbing her wrist, and extended two of her fingers to lay them on his neck. "Can you feel that?" Her eyes widened at the racing pulse and heat she detected before he continued, "YOU do this to me."

"How…?"

"I've been fighting it for over a month now. Even started drinking some putrid herbal shit to keep myself from… well, that's not important."

Kagome had been staring into his eyes intently but now she noticed their hands were still joined. She blushed, prompting Inuyasha to release her. "So you've been pushing me away for my own protection?" she questioned, seeking to understand him.

He nodded. "From me as much as from demons who would use you to get to me. But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"I protect you the best I can, but like I said, I can't always be there. I need you to be as self-reliant as you can be. Sometimes I think you've become so dependent on me that you forget the danger out there. So every now and then, I try to get a rise out of you, to keep you on your toes." He blushed at his next thought, "Mothering youkai pups is far from easy. There are instincts involved that human females don't have. Those protective abilities have to be learned."

"My archery," Kagome realized.

"For one. I want you to be able to protect yourself as well as any young ones who might come along. Just in case something were to happen to me."

Kagome let his words sink in, searching her mind for the questions that still needed answering. "I can understand you wanting me to become more self-reliant, but the insults? How does that help me grow? And again, what about Kikyou? You don't honestly expect me to bind myself to a man who runs off every time he catches a whiff of his ex-lover."

Inuyasha swallowed loudly, steeling himself for the inevitable anger a conversation about Kikyou would stir in his miko. "The two are somewhat related, actually," he began. "I've never been the most tactful person, right?" When she shook her head, acknowledging the truth of that statement, he smiled. "That's who I am, Kagome. I don't think before I talk. I feel something and it comes out of my mouth before I consider the consequences. I'm sure there are millions of times you've wanted to curse me out and held your tongue. The difference between you and me is that you do, and I don't.

"Kikyou couldn't accept me for who I was; she was always trying to change me, telling me not to do 'vile things' in front of her. You may be annoyed with me when I curse, or attack Shippou, or forget my manners but you're my friend in spite of it. Do you have any idea how much that means to me?" His eyes softened for a moment, regarding the woman before him. "But more importantly, I wanted you to get used to harsh words. Not from me, but from the world in general.

"Being mated to a demon is a difficult life, and the stigma comes from both sides when you're bound to a hanyou. People will talk. Loudly. They'll think you've been possessed, or that I somehow blackmailed you, or raped you. When they realize you're beside me of your own choosing, you'll become a whore in the eyes of humans, and a plaything to demons. It will hurt, Kagome. I can't tell you how many times I found my mother crying when some ignorant baka shouted at her for 'defiling' herself with a demon."

Kagome was listening to him with her complete attention, and she didn't even seem angry. This gave Inuyasha renewed hope, relaxing his shoulders and allowing him to continue.

"Just think how many times you've been sent into tears by some stupid insult that we both knew I didn't really mean. How many times have you run to the well after a petty fight neither of us could even remember today? Are you going to try to escape this world every time a priestess throws ofuda at you? When you are forced to bear children without the aid of a midwife because all the other women are afraid of tainting their souls? What about when Naraku invades your mind and tries to convince you that I only want you for your body because, after all, why would someone with my power condescend to love a human?"

The light of understanding started to dawn in her eyes. Kagome shook her head again, slowly. "I only run from you because you mean so much to me. What do I care what anyone else thinks?"

"Yeah, I thought Kikyou was strong enough at first, too. Shit, even then I was going to become human for her, but look what happened! One little plot by an evil maniac and our trust was shattered. Naraku is still out to get me, Kagome. He wants you, too."

"He can't have me. I'm not as weak as you seem to think I am."

"I know. But I had to be sure you could withstand it. I can't bear to see you cry, Kagome. It tears me up inside. I won't be the cause of sadness that I can't control."

"If I promise to keep my emotions in check, and not let ignorant people upset me, will you stop testing me?"

Inuyasha snorted lightly. "Not all of it is testing, Kagome. I *am* an asshole, it's as much a part of me as my claws."

"I don't want you to change who you are," she assured him. "I just want you to return the trust you ask of me."

He smiled at her warmly. "I think I can handle that."

Kagome returned his grin for a moment, then frowned again as a pensive expression took hold of her. "I'm still worried about Kikyou. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to see you two together? The only reason I accepted it before was because I managed to convince myself that you only saw me as a friend. In that light, it wasn't my place to question your feelings for her. I'm not going to sit like moss on a log when my husband goes off embracing his ex-lover."  


She was starting to speak of him as her husband! Inuyasha grasped her hands in his own, afraid to let go lest she pull away from him. "That became impossible the moment I marked you with my intent," he told her solemnly. "Youkai survival instincts create fierce loyalty between mates. It ensures that their offspring are well cared for."

"You're HALF youkai," Kagome pointed out.

"So? My human heart loves you every bit as much as my demon one needs you. Even if my weaker half betrayed you, it would be at odds with the stronger half, which would always win. And before you can ask me, that includes new moon nights."

"I have one last question to ask you," Kagome stated without emotion. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, but he nodded.

"Just what is involved in a demon mating ceremony?"

His heart leapt at the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Shouting out a yelp of joy and yanking her into his arms, Inuyasha spun them around until they became quite dizzy.

"You're sure?" he asked uncertainly, praying that she wouldn't change her mind on the spot.

Nodding, Kagome smiled and lifted a hand to brush his cheek gently. "I was ready to say yes when I first came in," she admitted with a blush. "I just needed to set a few things straight, first."

He hugged her tighter, dropping a kiss onto her head before quickly releasing her. Damned blood was raging again. "I want to celebrate," he announced. "But there's something I have to do first. Go get Sango and Miroku, and meet me at the front gate. I think it's time we enjoy the perks of my new position."


	14. A Little Flirting in the Fields

This was done on Wednesday night, but the story uploads portion of ff.net hasn't been letting me in! From now on, unless I explicitly say I'm not posting, you can expect a chapter a day. If I don't post, it's not me losing interest, just technical difficulties.

I decided there will be lime in this story. No lemon, though, since NC-17 isn't allowed on ff.net. For those of you who have problems with sexual situations, I'll warn you in advance but you won't have to read it to enjoy the story. Kinda like the cherry on a sundae -- good but not required :-) Personally I find it hard to believe that two people in love would be completely content to keep their hands off each other, especially when one is part demon, and to neglect that part of their interaction seems wrong. So if you prefer, you can skip it but I figure, why?

This one has minimal lime after Shippou is sent away (though it may be tame enough to call fluff). I was planning to bring the little kitsune back all along, so hopefully Amber and my other Shippou-loving readers will be happy with this chapter. On we go…

****

Chapter Thirteen

"Kagome!"

The young woman felt all the air rush from her lungs as the orange ball of fluff pounced on her chest, clinging so tight it was as though he were trying to meld with her.

"Shippou-chan!" She hugged the little kitsune to herself, nuzzling his cheek to her own. Looking up from her little bundle of love, Kagome glanced around the archery range. "How long have you been back?"

"Just got here," he answered her, giving her another squeeze before sliding down to stand on the ground. "Sango said she'd come to talk to you later. Something about… girl stuff?" At Kagome's light laughter, he raised an eyebrow and crossed his little arms. "Everyone sure is acting all strange and happy lately," he announced. "Why couldn't I come along sooner? Are you really going to be Inuyasha's mate?"

Nodding emphatically, Kagome knelt down before the little kitsune, wondering just what his own parents had explained to him about 'mating.' Truth be told, she knew very little herself about the specifics of the ritual. The last three days had kept Inuyasha quite busy with his new lordly duties and he seemed to be purposely keeping a safe distance from her.

"Hai, I will be Inuyasha's mate in two more days," she spoke.

A frightening idea popped into the fox demon's head. "Does that mean Inuyasha will be my new father?"

Kagome smiled. "I suppose it does, although I thought you already saw him that way?"

He grunted, acknowledging that despite their frequent scuffles, he did look up to the hanyou much as he had his own father. "Just don't tell him that," he agreed with a snort. Then he smiled brightly again. "That means I get to be at the ceremony!"

"Huh?"

Shippou was dancing around in glee, singing a happy tune to himself. "Only family gets to go to the wedding, right? So if you're my okaa-san and Inuyasha is my otou-san, then I get to go too!"

She hadn't considered that. Kagome loved the little kitsune, but Shippou was not the quietest of children. She had a feeling Sesshoumaru would be incensed if she attempted to bring Shippou to what promised to be a very solemn ceremony. He'd already made it clear that Sango and Miroku were not welcome, even though she saw the young woman as a sister.

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible, Shippou," she finally answered him, putting a frown on his face.

"Why not?"

"Did you go to your parents' wedding?"

"I wasn't even born yet!"

She opened her arms for the little kitsune to jump into again, and stroked his hair when he came to her. "I'm sorry, but this is a ceremony for adults only, Shippou. Besides, who's going to protect Sango from Miroku if Inuyasha and I aren't around?"

He pouted. "That's not fair."

"You can come to the reception, Shippou. That's why I asked Sango to go get you."

He seemed to cheer up a little at that, finally relaxing his pout and almost purring at the way she tousled his hair. "I still don't understand why you left me behind. I missed you guys."

"Inuyasha didn't think it would be safe," she explained carefully. "I had to beg him as it is to let you come for the reception." She closed her eyes, remembering the argument they'd had on the evening of their engagement.

__

"No way."

"Inuyasha…"

"That little runt is just going to be clinging to you the whole time, getting in the way of everything." He kept his arms folded in defiance, daring her to challenge him.

Kagome turned on the waterworks. "But -- but he's like my son!" Sniffle. "How can I leave him out of my wedding!" Sob. She peered at him through heavy lashes, fighting back a smile at the horror on his face that always preceded his caving in to her demands.

"Fine," he grunted. "But we can't put off the ceremony much longer, so if you want him there he's got to be here in five days."

"Hai!" Suddenly happy, she lauched herself at him, nearly knocking over her bowl of oden and placing a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek.

Kagome felt herself grow warm as she recalled the look that kiss had put in Inuyasha's eyes. It was… dangerous; but in a good way. She blushed at the memory and pushed it aside for a more private moment.

Shippou detected her discomfort, finding the tension and scent coming off of Kagome vaguely familiar. Yes, his own okaa-san had that scent sometimes, right before she and father would run off for a night or two.

He wasn't the only demon recognizing her arousal.

"Kagome."

The miko turned to see Inuyasha striding toward her, his hands fisted into the sleeves of his old red haori. "Shippou, you're here," he acknowledged the little fox. Inclining his head in a jerk toward the back door, he continued to stare at Shippou. "Sango's going to take you to your room."

"I want to stay with Kagome!"

The hanyou growled.

Shippou wailed. "Kagome!"

"Shippou," Kagome pulled the kitsune from her chest and put him on the ground, patting him toward Sango's direction. "Do as your otou-san says."

Throwing a look of surprise at Kagome and then one of anger at Inuyasha, he dropped his head and walked off toward the taijiya in defeat. "I don't like the way things are going," he was mumbling under his breath.

"Otou-san?" Inuyasha was just as surprised as Shippou had been. She actually took his side for once?

Kagome smiled at her hanyou, shyly reaching for his arm. "He sees me as his mother, right? What do you think that makes you?"

"You didn't give in to him."

"He's going to have to get used to it eventually, right?" she explained. "Unless you want him sleeping with us every night, that is."

Shaking his head fervently, Inuyasha's eyes grew wide. Then he processed her words. _Sleeping with us_. Yes, in two more nights they'd be sharing a bed. Kami, he was going to need another cup of that potion soon, and he'd just drank one before coming here!

"Inuyasha?" Kagome noticed he'd gone rigid, and moved to stand right in front of him, taking in the glassy vacant stare in his eyes. "Daijouka?"

He pulled her closer to himself by sheer instinct, and Kagome thought she could detect a growl rumbling from deep inside his chest. "Koibito…"

She froze. He'd never used an endearment with her before. Her emotions were battling between elation and concern. "Dai--"

"I'm fine," he finally answered, coming to himself while simultaneously pushing her back. "Just needed to hold you for a moment."

Smiling warmly, she raised a hand to rub his ears, remembering the purr he'd tried to hide from her when she discovered his secret pleasure last night. "Anytime, Koi. All you have to do is ask." Her face fell when he lifted a hand to stop her massage and backed away.

"I have to go back now."

He was lying and she could tell. Was he really having such difficulty? "Inuyasha?"

"Hai?" He took a hesitant step back toward her, hearing the uncertainty in her voice.

"Is it really that bad to be around me?"

His heart ached at the rejected look in her eyes. Oh how he longed to take that sadness away! Inuyasha fought the pounding of blood in his ears to take her hand again and drop a kiss onto her palm. "Two more days and then I won't have to hold back anymore," he answered her. "Please, just give me some space before then. I don't want to hurt you."

Two days really wasn't asking for much, Kagome knew. Still, now that their feelings were out in the open, each moment felt like torture. Almost not realizing what she was saying, she stepped even closer to him, "I'm not afraid."

Did the wench know what she was saying?! Inuyasha searched her expression quickly, finding her open to his gaze and awaiting his response. "Kagome, I can barely control myself as it is. Please don't tease me."

"I'm not teasing." She reached out to lay a hand on his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath the fire-rat haori that was his armor. Her fingers walked up to the enchanted rosary, toying with the beads in her hand before wrapping around them and pulling him down to her lips.

It was a very stunned half-demon who finally melted into her impassioned kiss, allowing a small bit of his restraint to slip away. He reached out for her again, roughly pulling her into his chest and growling his need into her mouth. He sought entrance with his tongue and was met with eager acceptance.

In the back of her mind Kagome knew she was being, by her standards anyway, a very bad girl. Still, this man was to be her husband, was he not? Surely she was entitled to satisfy a few of her more carnal desires. Besides, one of the things she'd noticed in this era was the lack of taboos against premarital sex. Infidelity, now THAT was a crime. Screw her conscience; she wanted this man. Badly.

"Kuso!" Inuyasha ripped himself away from her, desperately trying to ignore the whimpering pleas from the girl he grasped firmly under his claws. "We can't do this yet."  


"Why not?" She leaned forward again, trying to recapture his lips. He pushed her back as gently as he could, closing his eyes against the vision of her rosy, swollen lips.

"I've controlled myself for months now, Kagome. I'm not going to give in, not like this. Two more days, that's all we have left." He opened his eyes again and looked down at her, beseeching. "Please help me wait until then."

Kagome reigned in her emotions and waited for her breathing to slow to normal before stepping out from his grasp and nodding her agreement. "Two more days, Inuyasha. After that you're mine."

The promise in her voice stoked the fire inside him. When had his sweet little Kagome become this insatiable vixen? Was this behavior of hers caused by him? Whatever the cause, Inuyasha liked it. He leapt forward, pressing a chaste but affectionate kiss to her forehead, then raced back to the castle. "And you'll be mine," he shot back at her, grinning like a madman.

Coming to a stop just inside the castle, he slumped against the wall and forced his breath to even out. As maddening as it had been to pull away from their kiss -- their first kiss -- he knew he'd made the right decision. His first time with Kagome wasn't going to be some random tumble in the castle courtyard. He was going to make it something special for the girl who'd healed his heart.

Another cup of medicinal herbs was definitely in order, though Inuyasha was bewildered by the underlying calm he felt. Could it be that their kiss had cooled some of the heat inside? Around her, he felt it boil like rage, and his control slipped the more he gave in; but up to a certain point, it seemed that submitting to the passion settled him.

Dinner would be in a few hours. Perhaps he could surprise his miko with a test of this new theory. First, though, some tea.


	15. A Mating Story

Notes:

Sailor-Knight Shadowstar: Yeah, I got that information from a friend about six hours before I read your review. Funny coincidence, huh? I may go back and make some alterations to the story later…

VTlarry: SHH! You're going to give away the ending without realizing it! Hee hee

I dedicate this and the next chapter to my parents since I used some events from their own wedding to create Inuyasha and Kagome's. Their twenty-seventh anniversary is this coming Monday, too.

My source for Japanese wedding ceremonies:

http: // www . e-lopers.com / marriage-shinto . htm

There were others, but I couldn't find them when I wrote this author's note. I'll add them in later if I do.

Chapter Fourteen

BANG, BANG, BANG!

"I said five more minutes, Mama," Kagome sleepily shouted, her eyes closed against the sunlight streaming through the window as she pulled the covers over her head. Odd, since her window was beside her bed she never had the sun streaming directly on her face.

So why was it in her eyes now?

She shot up into a sitting position, wide awake. That's right. She wasn't home.

"Kagome-chan, I'm coming in whether you like it or not."

The miko barely had enough time to fold her blanket around her chest before Sango burst into the room, followed by two servant women and young Rin. "We've been trying to get you up for an hour, Kagome-chan! No more time for sleeping, we've too much to do."

She wasn't home. And it was her wedding day. Kagome smiled.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the futon and standing up, she stretched her arms high above her head and then wiped the sleepiness from her eyes. "Gomen, minna. I was too excited to sleep last night, I only fell asleep when the sun started rising."

Sango pulled the young woman from beside the futon and pushed her in front of her dressing table. "It's already mid-morning, which means we only have a few hours to get you dressed and to the temple. So no more talking!" Pointing to the drab white bathing kimono on the table before her, Sango started to tug lightly on Kagome's blanket. "Rin-chan is helping Akana-chan and Sadayo-san draw your bath, so change into that and while you're being cleaned I'll lay out your kimono and obi. If we hurry I might have enough time for that talk we never got around to yesterday."

Kagome blushed at the teasing censure in Sango's voice. Yes, she had weasled out of that one, but with good cause. After all, when your fiance comes up behind you at lunch and starts nipping at your neck, it's a little hard to remember your prior engagements.

A light shove toward the bathroom sent Kagome stumbling. "Okay, okay! I'm going!"

Once inside the bathroom, Kagome was hoisted up into the tub, already filled with warm, lavender-scented water. The girls and older woman took turns emptying buckets of water over Kagome's hair before lathering it up with a primitive but enticingly perfumed soap. At first she felt odd sitting there, doing nothing, while these strangers pampered her so completely, but she finally relaxed into their ministrations and began picturing the ceremony. 

Sesshoumaru had explained it to her, with the help of Miroku. Most demons didn't go to the effort of elaborate ritual. To the average forest dwelling youkai it was sufficient to mate and impregnate the female to seal their bond. Some youaki, such as the inu, included a bite mark as an outward proof of their connection.

The rules were a little different for demon lords. After all, they had reputations to maintain and examples to set. Their matings were formalized with ceremonies resembling those of their human counterparts, giving those bonds a higher status. The ancient Shinto practices were joined with demon rituals to create what sounded to Kagome like a truly moving ceremony.

"Kagome-sama, Sango-chan is waiting for you," Rin broke her mistress from her reverie, shaking her lightly. Kagome spared the girl a soft smile and stepped out of the bath, allowing Sadayo to wrap her in a warm towel.

Back inside the room, Kagome recognized the deep crimson kimono laid out on her futon as one of Inuyasha's mother's. Fingering the regal dog-shaped embroidery, Kagome wondered if Sesshoumaru had planned for her to wear this gown all along.

"Iyazoi-sama wore this kimono for her own mating ceremony." Sadayo came up behind the young woman, lifting the gown off the futon and preparing to dress Kagome in it. "It was her desire that the young lord's bride wear it on his wedding day." Noticing Kagome's hand lingering on the embroidery, she smiled. "That is the crest of the Inu family, Kagome-sama. It will be yours as well, after tonight."

Kagome slipped out of the towel, making sure to rub off any remaining moisture from her skin before straightening up and allowing Sadayo to drape the kimono over her shoulders. Sango appeared from her closet, carrying the obi she would tie about her waist and helped the old woman straighten the kimono on Kagome's arms.

After several minutes the women stepped back, satisfied that Kagome was properly and neatly dressed. Sango led her friend to the dressing table again so that she could see herself in the mirror. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and tears came to her eyes. The person staring back at her wasn't the same giddy sixteen-year-old who'd gone in for a bath only half an hour before. This glowing apparition was so much more mature. A true woman.

"You look beautiful, Kagome-chan," Sango whispered. She reached down for a brush and began to comb through the tangles in her friend's hair. Kagome continued to stare in silence at her own reflection, almost failing to believe it was herself in the mirror.

A comfortable silence permeated the room as the three servants quietly excused themselves. Sango finished brushing Kagome's hair, setting down the brush again and turning the miko to face her. She took a deep, calming breath and sat down before her.

"About demon mating rituals…"

Kagome blushed. "So it's going to be THAT kind of talk."

Nodding, Sango developed an answering blush. "I don't want to embarrass you, Kagome-chan, but there are some things you should know about, just in case Inuyasha is more youkai than human tonight."

The younger woman felt her stomach clench nervously. Just what was she getting herself into? 

"Like?"

"This is Inuyasha's first heat," she began hesitantly. "Youkai normally have an intense first heat, because they are still young when this occurs. The later mating urges -- and these only happen once a year -- are more calm. Eventually they're little more than an itch that wants scratching. This is planned by nature; since even youkai lose some of their stamina with age, there is no need for a demon to continue fathering children after his first few offspring have been birthed."

"What exactly is it that I need to know about Inuyasha's … heat?" Kagome unconsciously leaned forward to take in the demon exterminator's expert advice. Her own mother had barely given her any information about human sexual intercourse. Most of what she knew came from movies and schoolyard gossip, along with overly scientific lectures in sexual education courses in class.

"It can be violent," Sango reluctantly answered, not wanting to scare her friend. "Bear in mind, I am speaking of the practices of full youkai, and in more primal matings. Inuyasha is hanyou, and I'm sure he will take care not to hurt you. Still, he may forget his own strength. You should be careful not to tease him too much. At least not the first time."

"Sango!" Kagome's blush was back in full force.

"I'm just trying to help, Kagome-chan. You're like a sister to me, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Kagome slid from her chair to wrap Sango in a big, warm bear hug. "Arigato, Sango-chan. I think of you as a sister as well." An impish grin spread across the miko's face. "Don't worry. If Inu-chan doesn't behave himself, I can always say the s-word."

At this, Sango laughed. "Yes, I suppose you could," she agreed. Sobering again, she glanced out the window to see the sun sitting high in the sky.

"Are you ready?"

* * * * *

Inuyasha was pacing.

To the left.

"Where is that baka? He was supposed to be here an hour ago!"

Sesshoumaru growled quietly at the hanyou's impatience from his chair.

To the right.

"How hard is it to get a damn tear stitched up?"

"It takes as long as it takes," the inuyoukai answered sedately. If the monk knew what was good for him he'd appear before them right now…

Back to the left.

"I'm going to be late and Kagome will think I've stood her up."

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. "That volatile, is she?"

And back to the right.

"Keh."

"That's what I thought."

Inuyasha was seconds from strangling his annoyingly calm half-brother when the door to his room opened to admit a panting Miroku. "Gomen, Inuyasha, all the stores were closed again today, I had to track down --"

"Nevermind that, I'm late!" He all but ripped the black kimono from the houshi's hands and stalked off to his dressing room. Moments later, a string of expletives issued from the room, followed by a half-dressed inu-hanyou. "Well? Is someone going to help me with this fucking thing? I swear this would be so much easier if I could wear my own clothes…"

Sesshoumaru motioned for a servant boy to attend to his brother. "If you would learn patience, Inuyasha, these kinds of situations wouldn't occur."

Inuyasha growled in response, but allowed the servant boy to settle the black silk over his body and make the appropriate ties.

"Well?"

Miroku waited for the boy to step away before giving his comrade an appraising stare. "Kagome-sama will be pleased," he answered.

Inuyasha puffed up in pride, a smug grin spreading over his face. "Damn well better be pleased. I'm only agreeing to this for her."

The houshi rolled his eyes at the blatant lie. He knew Inuyasha wanted this ceremony every bit as much as Kagome did, even if his masculine pride made him hide it.

"Enough of this," Sesshoumaru announced standing from his chair. "We must leave now if we are to arrive at the temple before your wench, Inuyasha."

Nodding curtly, Inuyasha tossed a warning look at Miroku. "Hey, Bouzu! Keep your hands to yourself at the reception. I don't want my mate running off to console Sango all night."

"You hurt me with your distrust," Miroku replied with a wounded sigh. "I am perfectly capable of behaving myself."

"Keh!" Reaching the door, Inuyasha waited for Sesshoumaru to catch up. "Let's go, I'm ready."

* * * * *

Even with their superior speed Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru made it to the jinja just before Kagome did, escorted by Sango and Shippou.

Kagome's face broke out into a wide grin when she saw Inuyasha in his formal black kimono, tied back silver hair, and --

Shoes! He was actually wearing geta!

Inuyasha, on the other hand, was just stunned. She was wearing his mother's kimono, and looking every bit as lovely as she ever had. The red and white combination had always looked good on her, but this… this was just … he had no words.

Sango bowed to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha before giving Kagome one last hug. "When I see you next you'll be a married woman," she tearfully noted. She took Shippou from her shoulders to hug him in her arms and turned away, walking back toward the castle. There were reception preparations to be made.

Inuyasha and Kagome entered the jinja, followed by Sesshoumaru. Each took their turn washing their hands in the holy water, cleansing themselves for the ritual. A shrine miko directed Kagome to her seat in the center of the room while another set Inuyasha opposite her. Sesshoumaru found himself a place in the back, slumping into the darkness with fatigue.

Kagome jumped a bit at the sudden beating of the taiko as the priest summoned the spirit witnesses into the jinja. She reached out with her miko powers, eager to know if the ceremony rituals were just for show or if indeed spirits of good and evil swam about them. She could only feel them faintly, and this alarmed her. A small movement beside the priest caught her attention. The miko was staring at her with a sad but knowing expression.

She was going to lose her miko powers tonight.

The young woman hadn't considered this but indeed, miko were shrine MAIDENS. After tonight, she'd be married to a hanyou. Already she felt as though a thick fog were wrapping around her senses. She snuck a quick glance at Inuyasha who was sitting, head bowed, in solemn silence. His eyes were closed and peaceful. Did he know?

The drumming had ceased, prompting Kagome to lower her head and mimic Inuyasha's own supplicant pose. She heard the priest walk about the room, chanting and waving wards to banish the evil spirits who'd made their way into the room. She had to stifle a giggle when Sesshoumaru growled quietly. Through the dense fog Kagome was relieved she could sense faint evil leaving the room, leaving only benign spirits surrounding them in an aura of warmth and love.

Silence fell again and the priest began making his food offerings to the gods, asking for their blessing on the marriage. Kagome felt the acceptance in the room and sent a silent arigato to the spirits who would hear her.

Bidding them to stand, the priest motioned for his miko to come to him. He filled a small sake bowl with the rice wine and sent the girl to Inuyasha. Kagome recognized this as the san-san-kudo, or the three-three-nine ritual. It was a harmless enough procedure in human weddings, but she wasn't being married to a human. The demon additions to this particular sacrament had been unnerving Kagome since they were first described to her.

Sesshoumaru joined the miko, taking a blade from the priestess and offering it to Inuyasha. He made a small cut into his left forearm, then turned it to the bowl and allowed three drops of blood to fall. Straightening, he took the cup and sipped from it in three distinct motions before returning the cup to the miko. Kagome felt her pulse increase when Sesshoumaru and the miko came to stand before her, offering the cup to her. She took her three sips, amazed she could taste the tang of Inuyasha's blood through the pungent aroma of sake.

As the miko returned the bowl to the ceremonial table and retrieved the next one, Sesshoumaru held out the dagger to Kagome, giving her an almost sympathetic look. She steeled her nerves and made the necessary cut into her own forearm, careful not to hit too deep into a major artery. When she'd completed the cut, she let three small drops fall from her own arm into the new bowl presented before the miko brought the mixture to Inuyasha for his three sips. She returned it to Kagome, and the young woman copied her hanyou's actions.

It was time for the third and final sake bowl. This bowl remained free of blood and was again brought to Inuyasha for the first turn. In the same tranquil formality he'd displayed with the first two he finished his portion of the rite, coming to gaze at Kagome as the priestess brought the bowl to her. He watched Kagome take the last three sips and felt a piece of his heart he hadn't known was missing snap into place.

Kagome was thoroughly relieved. Already her small wrist wound was clotting and the intensity of the moment had dulled the pain of cutting herself to almost nothing.

The priest asked kami-sama to allow his young worshippers to approach the altar, motioning to the pair when he'd finished. They came to stand side-by-side for the first time since entering the shrine and began reading their vows from the sacred scroll. Kagome stumbled a bit over the ancient text, but managed to speak each word clearly with some gentle assistance from Inuyasha.

Having completed the vows Kagome and Inuyasha were returned to their seats, now permitted by the gods to sit together. The priest took up his chanting again, giving them the final blessings on their marriage as his miko supplied the pair and Sesshoumaru with cups of sake. They drank together to the health of the marriage.

Only one thing left to do, and it too frightened Kagome. The marking.

The priest and miko took positions on the far end of the jinja. This was a strictly demon ritual and had no place for them. Inuyasha gave his bride a soft smile, seeking to calm her racing pulse. The look had the opposite effect, sending Kagome's heart pounding. He gently swiped her hair away from her neck, baring it to his view and leaned in to bite down on the pulse there. Kagome kept her eyes open, feeling awkward at experiencing such intimate sensations in such a holy place. Inuyasha hovered over the new wound, discreetly lapping up the blood that issued forth to help her relax.

He leaned back again, replacing the hair and covering the mark before sending her one last reassuring smile.

The ceremony was complete.

Without breaking the serenity in the jinja, Inuyasha and Kagome rose and bowed again to the altar before them. Sesshoumaru left the room first, making an offering to the gods in the name of their family. Kagome and Inuyasha followed, Inuyasha taking Kagome's hand and squeezing it as they reached the doorway. With one final deep breath, they emerged into the sunlight outside the temple.


	16. Unwelcome Midnight Visitors

Okay, time to wind this thing down. I have a ton of work I need to do and as much as I love writing Inuyasha fictions, they don't pay the rent :-)

I'm guessing one, maybe two more chapters after this one. I'm considering adding on later with occasional one-shot vignettes on the life of married Inuyasha and Kagome. I already have a couple in mind: a Christmas story and a sweet little father-son story, both set a few years into the future. No promises, but keep an eye out in the next few weeks/months.

Lime warning -- the scene starts after Miroku's second smart-ass comment to Inyasha. For those of you avoiding it, you can safely read again after "KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"

****

Chapter Fifteen

Sango was lighting torches several feet away while Miroku was occupied lifting her to reach. If they timed it just right…

"GOT IT!" Shippou darted back under the table with a facetious grin. He broke the small cake in half and handed a piece to Rin.

"Shippou-chan is fast," Rin said in awe, her mouth stuffed full of the confection.

The little kitsune lifted his nose into the air with confidence. "I'm a demon; of course I'm fast!"

She giggled at his little display. Unfortunately she giggled a little too loudly.

"You little hooligans!" They were each hoisted high into the air by a strong pair of arms. Rin squeaked in embarrassed fear at the castle chef. "Kiroki-san! Rin-chan is sorry!"

"There you are!" Sango rushed up to the trio, taking Shippou into her own hands for a stern lecturing. "What did I tell you about stealing from the dessert buffet?"

"But Sango, I'm so hungry!" Shippou gave the taijiya his biggest watery eyes and prayed she'd give in like Kagome usually did. 

It didn't work.

"You're going to wait like the rest of us," she firmly reiterated for the fourth time that afternoon. "Kagome-chan and Inuyasha will be back any minute now. Don't you want your okaa-san to have a nice wedding party?"

Shippou nodded, feeling a small amount of shame welling into his stomach. Yes, he wanted to behave for Kagome. He felt himself being lowered to the ground next to Rin. 

"If you are both that bored, then why not go into the garden and pick some flowers for Kagome-chan?" Sango suggested. 

That idea put a smile on both their faces. They agreed in unison and ran together toward the eastern gardens. Sighing, Sango turned back to the rather tedious job of lighting the fifty-plus torches that lined the banquet hall, only to see that Miroku had finished for her.

"Arigato, houshi-sama. My arms were starting to ache."

"You're most welcome, Sango." He extinguished the lighting torch and came to stand behind Sango. The demon exterminator cringed, expecting the usual grope, but it never came. Instead, Miroku moved to take her arms in his hands and began massaging the taut muscles in a soothing motion.

Forgetting herself for the moment, Sango relaxed into his caress, a small sigh escaping her. Miroku closed his eyes and reveled in the fact that for once, she wasn't attempting to bean him with hiraikotsu. They continued in this way for several minutes before the room started filling with wedding guests. Hiding their disappointment, Miroku and Sango stepped quickly away from each other, giving the room a final once-over.

The servants were busy seating various aristocratic figureheads about the room. Sango followed Miroku to their own reserved table, mercifully close to the head table. They had no desire to mingle with the various strange and petty noblemen and women.

Large drums beating announced the arrival of the bride and groom. The hall fell silent as Sesshoumaru entered, and introduced the pair as husband and wife. All around them the guests cheered and clinked their chopsticks against each other, some shouting out wishes for good health and happiness.

Kagome was in complete rapture. Inuyasha felt ill.

"This is the part I was dreading," he grumbled in annoyance.

Squeezing his hand affectionately to give him her strength, Kagome just smiled back at the boisterous guests and followed Sesshoumaru to the head table, her hanyou mate in tow.

Once they were seated, a fleet of servants burst from the castle kitchen, each carrying various trays of regional delicacies for their dinner. There were no less than six kinds of meat, thirteen vegetable dishes, and enough rice and soup to feed an army. Sesshoumaru had again spared no expense. If his brother was going to mate a human, at least it would be a lavish and regal affair.

"Dreading this part too?" Kagome winked at Inuyasha as he eagerly dug into the rabbit stew a servant placed before him.

He shot her a teasing glare. No one came between Inuyasha and his meal. Not even Kagome.

Halfway through dinner, Sesshoumaru stood and gave his small tribute to the couple beside him, as was expected of the demon lord. His speech was followed by one from Miroku, who took the opportunity to check out the female complement among the guests. Sango gritted her teeth in annoyance.

Following dinner, Kagome was nearly bowled over by Shippou. "Okaa-san! Rin-chan and I picked flowers for you!" He shoved the small, already wilting bouquet proudly at Kagome, eliciting a warm smile from the young woman.

"Arigato, Shippo-chan. I'll have to press these into my diary later."

He didn't know what a diary was, but Kagome was happy and that's all that mattered. He was getting comfortable in his mother's arms when Inuyasha abruptly lifted him by the tail from her chest and met him face-to-face.

"You can snuggle up to Kagome later, kit. This is adult time now."

Shippou pouted, but a look from Kagome told him she wasn't going to disagree with the irate hanyou. If what Sango had told him was true, he wouldn't be sleeping beside Kagome at all anymore. Damn Inuyasha for stealing his mother away!

Inuyasha dropped him onto the ground unceremoniously, ignoring the stern frown from Kagome. He took her hand and pulled her out to the center of the banquet hall where already several couples were dancing to the merry tune played by the orchestra. 

"Inuyasha?"

"You still owe me that dance, wench."

Stunned but eager, Kagome allowed the hanyou to draw her into the center of the dance floor and they began to dance. All around them couples backed away to appraise the newlyweds, some of them calling out compliments, others simply cheering them on.

"Am I still clumsy, Inuyasha?"

"You never were, koibito," he whispered into her ear, his voice husky. Only a couple more hours of schmoozing with the guests and he could whisk his mate off into the night. Inuyasha wondered if anyone would notice him sneaking her out early…

Unknown to Inuyasha, Kagome's thoughts were following a similar path. She blushed, and burrowed deeper into his kimono. Where would he take her, she wondered? Would they go off into his room, or was there a kind of honeymoon suite in the castle? In her most private fantasies Kagome had imagined this night in perfect detail, but it wasn't in a bed in a demon lord's castle.

The song ended. Inuyasha stood back and watched Kagome, his eyes filled with concern at her glazed expression. Was she ill?

"Daijouka, Kagome?"

"Mm, I'm fine koiishi. Just thinking."

The orchestra began a new song, this one playing at a much faster tempo. Wordlessly the pair decided to skip this particular dance and made their way back to the head table.

"We have the final toasts left," Inuyasha began when they were out of the crowd, "and then I think we can leave without insulting anyone."

"Not a big party fan, are we Inu-chan?"

He grunted in response, evoking an almost musical laugh from Kagome.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango emerged behind the couple, Miroku following close behind. Had they been dancing? Kagome filed that question away for later. "Do you have a minute?"

With an affirming nod from Kagome, Sango pulled the girl off toward the ladies powdering room, leaving the two men standing alone.

"Inuyasha?"  


"Eh?"

"Need any tips for tonight?"

Apparently the gods saw fit to spare Miroku's life. Before Inuyasha could rip the monk a new one, he felt a light tug at the bottom of his kimono. Sesshoumaru's little human girl, Inuyasha realized upon looking down. What did she want with him?

"Inuyasha-sama, Rin can't find Sesshoumaru-sama. Where did he go?"

Indeed, the inuyoukai had disappeared. In fact, Inuyasha didn't remember seeing him at all since his speech earlier in the evening. The little girl continued to hold him in a worried gaze. 

In an uncharacteristically tender moment, Inuyasha knelt down to the little girl and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "I'm sure he's just resting," he soothed her. "Kagome is in the washroom, why don't you go find her and she'll put you to bed."

"Hai!"

Miroku watched the little girl run off happily before turning back to the hanyou beside him. "Practicing for fatherhood, are we?"

"Keh!"

* * * * * 

"Oyasumi nasai, Lady and Lord Inuyasha."

The heavy wooden door closed on the pair, leaving them alone in the largest and most opulent room in the entire castle.

Kagome fought her sudden timidity by walking about the room, studying all of its intricate décor and features. There was the ceiling, which rose through two levels of the three-story castle and from which dropped a rather large, unlit chandelier. The floor was wooden here as it was everywhere else, but covered with woven mats, rugs, and animal skins over various areas. 

She discovered his and hers closets, which Kagome noticed had been filled with their possessions at some point during the day. The servants had indeed been quite busy, she realized. Between the closets a dressing table like the one in her previous room had been set up with brushes, perfumes, and various hair accessories.

On the wall opposite the dressing table and closets loomed an enormous stone fireplace, over which hung a large tapestry portraying one of the great inuyoukai in battle. The demon resembled Inuyasha more than Sesshoumaru, right down to his two fuzzy dog ears. Kagome stifled a laugh at the odd juxtaposition of the youkai's puppy ears and the fierce battle he was fighting. She'd have to ask Inuyasha about that particular ancestor later.

Then there was the bed. It was raised above ground like her own in the future, but significantly larger. The bedding appeared to be several layers thick and exceedingly plush. Large velvet draperies were pulled back along the sides of the headboard, held with tasseled ties to ivory hooks on the wall.

Inuyasha brushed his hands onto his kimono and stepped back to contemplate the blazing fire he'd started in the previously cold fireplace. When they'd entered the room only a few sparse torches had been lit, giving the place a somewhat austere feeling despite the furnishings. Sensing Kagome's nervousness, he'd opted to busy himself with the fire while giving her the chance to become comfortable with her new surroundings.

Now that his task was completed, he found her staring at their bed with an unreadable expression. He didn't know how to approach her in this state, but he had to say something.

"Kagome?"

She turned to meet his eyes, comforted by the familiar sound of her name in his voice. He was walking toward her, slowly, as though she were a small animal who would scamper off into the woods if frightened.

"Inuyasha."

She held out a hand to the hanyou which he took gently into his own, coming to stand before her. "You okay? Not too cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

"This was a lot easier when we weren't trying to hold back," he grumbled affably. Inuyasha searched her eyes again, finding in them a wealth of love but a small speck of apprehension. "I don't know what exactly you're expecting, but I don't want to disappoint you, Kagome."

She shook her head, raising her free hand to glide up over the smooth skin of Inuyasha's cheek before coming to rest at his left ear. "You can't disappoint me, koiishi. I'm with you for who you are inside and nothing that happens here tonight will change that. Tonight can only make me love you more."

__

Kami-sama, I don't know what I did to deserve her but thank you.

With this thought, Inuyasha bent down, capturing Kagome's lips in a sweet kiss. She responded to him, dropping the hand on his ear to rest in his hair. He felt the accustomed heat fill his blood and reminded himself to proceed slowly and avoid pushing his mate further than she was ready to go.

They separated, breathless, when the need for oxygen surpassed the desire to remain linked. The ice was broken.

"Inuyasha?"

"Mm?"

"There's something I want to do before we go any further."

A quizzical look took residence in the half-demon's eyes when Kagome reached up to grab the rosary around his neck. "Kagome?"  


"I can't keep you locked with this subduing spell anymore." She started to tug at it with both hands, hoping to snap it without hurting her husband.

"Stop."

Inuyasha grabbed her hands into his own and pulled them away from the charmed beads. "You haven't said the word in several weeks now," he pointed out when she mirrored his own confused countenance. "I wouldn't feel right without my rosary. It brings me closer to you when I wear it."

"Like the mark you gave me today?"

He smiled, releasing her hands to seek out the small red indentations on her neck. "Exactly."

The mark was bleeding a little, putting a frown on Inuyasha's face. "Does it hurt?"

"Iya, it just itches a little. I guess I scratched it open on accident."

"Let me take care of that for you." Before Kagome could respond, his face was next to her own and she felt the moist warmth of his tongue sweeping over the bruised flesh. She couldn't help the moan that came up from her throat at his delicate treatment.

Hearing her reaction to his stimulation, Inuyasha began moving them the few steps that remained between their position and the bed. Kagome felt her legs buckle as they made contact with the smooth wood and gasped.

She was on the bed. With Inuyasha.

"What's wrong, koibito?"

"Nothing… I just… this isn't quite how I imagined it."

Inuyasha chucked. "You've thought about this before?"

Blushing, Kagome took a playful swat at his shoulder. "Don't tell me you never thought about it."

"Never. I'm not a hentai like that monk of ours."

"Liar," she grinned.

He caught her wrist in his hand and brushed a kiss along the inner surface. "How did you picture us, Kagome?"

"Promise you won't laugh at me?"

"No."

She narrowed her eyes, but he continued to await her response. With a sigh, she surrendered and answered him. "I always thought we'd be under the Goshinboku."

That was unexpected. Inuyasha's eyebrows rose. "Really? Why there?"

"It's always been a special place for me -- and for us. It's where I first met you. Where my father proposed to my mother. Sometimes it feels like my life revolves around that tree, so I suppose it just seemed like the natural place."

"I'm sorry we're so far away."

Kagome shook her head, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's not that important, Inuyasha. I just feel a little strange being here in this huge castle, with you now a demon lord, and I'm not really sure what to make of it all. I guess I just have to get used to the change."

"You miss being in the forest? I thought you'd be happy having all of these comfortable things available."

"It just doesn't feel like US," she said. "When I picture you in my mind, I see an arrogant hanyou dashing through the forest, sleeping in trees, and gobbling down ramen."

"I miss ramen," Inuyasha realized sadly. 

Kagome laughed. "I had one package left in my bag, if the servants brought it over with the rest of my things. Would you like me to make it for you?"

The half-demon laying beside her stared at her as though she'd grown a second head. "You'd rather get up and cook ramen than stay here with me?"

"If you'd like."

Kagome found herself suddenly pinned further up on the bed, Inuyasha straddling her waist and holding her arms carefully against the soft covers beneath them. "What do YOU think?"

She gulped. "I think the ramen can wait."

"Smart girl." He leaned in to kiss her again, this time with more passion than their earlier kiss. He felt her chest rising and falling, her heartbeat increasing to match the ever-racing pulse in his own body. This was like heaven on earth, he thought.

Kagome recognized the stirrings of longing in her and fought against her mate's light grip on her arms to reach for the ties of his kimono. He released her with a growl, his lips never leaving her own. She succeeded in blindly removing the outer kimono before he ended the kiss, sitting back to examine the young woman beneath him.

"Not fair, Kagome. If you get to take off my kimono, then I get to take off yours."

She giggled, blushing, and wiggled beneath him to loosen the obi at her back. "Go right ahead, big shot. See if you can get this thing off by yourself."

She was challenging him! Inuyasha growled again in delight and began busying himself with the infuriating tangle of cloth and ties. He was starting to regret that his bride was wearing his mother's kimono -- he couldn't very well rip a family heirloom to shreds.

He finally succeeded in pushing aside the fabric to reveal the upper half of Kagome's chest. Breathing out slowly in appreciation for her soft skin, he dragged claw lightly along her collarbone and down to the swell of her breasts.

"You're beautiful, koibito. Did I ever tell you that?"

"No."

"I should have."

Again he bent down, this time trailing butterfly kisses along the path his hand had taken. Pushing the kimono aside further, he prepared to lavish attention on her breasts when --

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Lord Inuyasha!"

"WHAT?"

Suddenly infuriated, Inuyasha jumped off Kagome, allowing her the chance to cover herself while he strode to the door in large angry steps. He opened it just enough to see Jaken standing timid on the other side.

"This had better be damned important, toad."

"Yes, milord -- gomen -- but Sesshoumaru…" The small demon faltered.

"What about him?" Inuyasha roared in annoyance.  


"He's dying."


	17. Deathbed Confession

Author's notes:

I want to cry. This is not the original chapter. The original was the most beautiful piece of writing I've ever done, and fate saw fit to rip it away from me with my own ignorance. I didn't save, and as I was making a small edit to the chapter, MS Works crashed and I lost it all. I attempted to recreate it and this is what you are reading now. Hopefully it retained at least some of it's poignance, I'll let you be the judge.

Contest Alert: At least one of my reviewers was saying they wished they could write as well as they drew/painted. Well, I personally admire the various fan artworks out there and thought up an idea. In the next few weeks I'll be creating a small Inuyasha website for posting my stories and I would like to invite my talented artist readers to create pictures depicting scenes from the story. I'll choose the top pictures and use them in the story, but all entries will get recognition in a separate fan art gallery. If you'd like to submit an entry, send it to mrskim47@ufl.edu.

Talum's crazy friend: I was a little concerned about keeping the scene so innocent myself, but then I remembered three things: 1) the main theme of this story is Inuyasha's unique blend of human and demon courtship instincts. His human side being as sweet as it is, I felt he'd want to make the first night romantic for her and be gentle. 2) As discovered in chapter fourteen, giving in to his passions has the effect of soothing them. So by that token, if he's actively making out with her, then he's being relieved a little. Finally, 3) The fact that he believes he's finally about to get what he needs makes it possible to hold out. I'm sure you've been in a situation where you were so excited about something and then when its about to happen, even if it's not happening yet, you feel more calm about it. Anyway, that's my explanation.

There will likely be more heavy citrus action later. Be forewarned. However, it doesn't happen here.

****

Chapter Sixteen

Inuyasha sailed down darkened halls toward Sesshoumaru's chambers, his outer kimono forgotten in the moment. Kagome ran to follow after haphazardly retying her own kimono.

When she finally reached the room's wide-open door she was struck immobile by the scene playing out inside.

Inuyasha was crying. 

Over Sesshoumaru.

His silent tears were not sentimental sobs but the angry desperation of a man losing a possession he never knew he had. The hanyou was shouting out orders to attendant servants, demanding medicines, water, clean cloths, anything that might help in bringing the demon lord back from the edge of death.

Kagome remained still in the doorway, finally reaching out to tug it closed for privacy when Inuyasha called out to her.

"Kagome."  


After a moment's hesitation she entered the room, carefully padding her way to the edge of the bed.

"The people in your time… they know more about sickness than we do. Can you do anything for him?"  


She studied the prone inuyoukai who lay before her. His eyes were open but unfocused, his body shaking with spasms from uncooperative organs. The already pale color of his skin was whiter still, and sweat drenched his silver hair, pasting strands to his cheeks and forehead. He was a mere shell of the fearful demon she once knew.

Sadly, Kagome shook her head. "It's too late. When he was first poisoned, perhaps, but there's nothing I can do for him now." Even her miko powers couldn't purify the evil that seeped through his blood.

A stirring from the bed snapped his attention upward. 

"Inuyasha."

The hanyou's gaze met Sesshoumaru's own eyes, which focused on him with great difficulty.

"My time is drawing near, Inuyasha."

Refusing to accept his words, Inuyasha barked at him. "You're just being lazy, baka. Fight this!"

Another spasm wracked the demon lord's body. "I've fought this poison with my own for these last few weeks," he replied quietly, "but this jaki is stronger than my own."

"We'll get you more of the medicine. Make it stronger. You can't just give up like this!"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru closed his eyes against the pain, waiting for it to ebb away before continuing. "You are prepared to take your place among our ancestors. I am sure the upcoming battle will go in our favor and you will emerge victorious."

Inuyasha continued to shake his head, not wanting to hear the words that his half brother spoke. 

"Make our father proud of his youngest son," he whispered,

"as I am proud of you."

A final spasm overtook the demon. He sucked in a large gasping breath, released it, and fell limp into the mattress beneath.

"SESSHOUMARU!" 

Inuyasha grabbed at the inuyoukai's lifeless hand. "Sesshoumaru-onii-san!"

The room was completely still, and the body before him did not respond.

"KUSO!" 

Inuyasha punched an angry fist into the sheets. He cursed to the heavens above, panting in heavy breaths for seemingly endless moments. Finally rising from the floor, he stalked out the room into the now empty hallway beyond.

Kagome ran after him, grasping at his shoulder when she reached him. "Inuyasha, where are you going?"  


He whipped around, a ferocious gleam in his eyes which sent Kagome backing away in fear. 

"Naraku dies tonight!"

"You can't be serious!"

"He destroyed my only family!" he roared back at her, his fury born more of despair than anger.

Tears welled up in her eyes at his palpable pain. "You still have me," she pitifully replied.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, his glare focused inward. "Until he takes you, too."

Kagome searched her mind for a way to talk some sense into the fuming half-demon. "You can't honestly think you'll find him so quickly when we've been searching for months!"

He growled. "I have to try."

Popping out of nowhere, Myouga landed on his master's shoulder. "Lord Inuyasha, it would be inadvisable for you to go out alone at this time. Your heat will soon render you incapable of fighting at full strength."  


"I can't just sit here and do nothing!" he shouted back, whipping around to continue his trek down the hall.

A clinking sound halted him as his careless movement swiped his katanas against the side wall. He grasped at the hilt of Tetsusaiga, ensuring the fang was still securely at his side. Suddenly a wild look took residence in his eyes, and he shifted his hand to the other katana. Drawing it from it's scabbard, Inuyasha watched the dim light glint off it's blade.

"I can use Tenseiga…"

Kagome's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "If that were possible, don't you think Sesshoumaru would have done so already?"  


Myouga shook his head. "The one who wields the sword cannot use it to save himself, that is true; but Lord Sesshoumaru gave it over to Inuyasha, effectively making him the katana's master."

The almost insane glint in her mate's eyes sent nervous shivers down Kagome's spine. He shoved past her, storming off toward Sesshoumaru's room with purpose.

Several servants attending to the inuyoukai parted at the return of their lord. He came to a stop at the head of the bed, suddenly unsure as to his course of action.

"Milord?"

"I don't know how to use it," Inuyasha growled in self-deprecation.

"You must swipe at the hell demons," Jaken answered him timidly from the other side of the bed. "They should be visible preparing his body for the journey into the afterlife."

"I can't see them!"

Kagome came into the room and stood beside her frustrated hanyou. Reaching out with the remainder of her miko powers she searched for a sign of spirits.

"I can see them," she finally spoke, "but only faintly. There are three; one at his left shoulder, one on his stomach, and the last at his right leg."

With a gruff answering nod, Inuyasha raised the Tenseiga and slashed the blade at the positions indicated. A small sparkle of blue light crackled around the demon lord, but nothing more.

"Did it work?"

Sesshoumaru lay still.

"It might take a while," Myouga announced cautiously. "Even if you brought him back from death, the poison will need time to retreat."

"Leave us." 

Myouga nodded, hopping away from his master and retreating toward the door. Jaken hesitated, but finally followed the flea. Bowing her head, Kagome turned to join them but was held in place by a hand from Inuyasha.

"Not you. Please, Kagome. Stay with me."

She silently acquiesced and came to stand beside him, allowing him to reach an arm around her waist and pull her close. They stood there, together, watching for any sign of life.

* * * * * 

An hour passed with no movement from the bed. Kagome had long since fallen asleep, and Inuyasha had carried her to a soft rug before the blazing fire in Sesshoumaru's room before coming back to his vigil.

His ears twitched when a faint rustling of fabric echoed in the room.

Then a breath.

"Inu…yasha…"

He shot forward, leaning over the bed to see with his own eyes what his ears where telling him.

"You brought me back."

"It worked…"

Sesshoumaru's eyes fluttered beneath their lids before slowly opening to see Inuyasha hovering above him. "Of course it did," he rasped. "Have you no faith in our father's power?"

Inuyasha wanted to throw his arms around the demon lord, but wisely held back the instinct. Sesshoumaru was already trying to sit up, so he satisfied himself by aiding him in the endeavor.

"Why did you save me?"

Blinking, Inuyasha couldn't find the words to explain himself.

Sesshoumaru read his younger brother's expression and found all the answers he needed. Then he noticed the lump curled up before his fireplace and again studied the hanyou.

"You haven't mated yet."

"No."

"What are you waiting for?"

"You--"  


"I will recover now," Sesshoumaru answered his unspoken question. "The servants will see to my care."

Nodding, Inuyasha backed away from the bed and walked over to Kagome's sleeping form. The light danced over her features and a soft smile lit her face. It was as though even in sleep she knew the danger had passed.

Bending down, he raised her up with an arm supporting her shoulders and another cradling her legs. At the sudden movement she opened her eyes.

"Inuyasha?"

"Sesshoumaru is alive," he answered her.

She smiled again. "Yokatta…" 

The relief in his eyes quickly morphed into heated desire at the proximity of her body. The fever was becoming uncontrollable.

Kagome recognized the gleam and was suddenly wide awake. "Take me to bed, Inuyasha."

He needed no further encouragement. Quick as lightning, Inuyasha whisked them out the door.

* * * * * 

Vocab for those who requested it:

Yokatta -- "it's good" but as used often in IY, "I'm glad"


	18. Consummation: an Epilogue

Looks like the last chapter. Sorry if that disappoints but you have to know when to end a story or it drones on and loses its appeal. Plus, I have to get on with real life and updating this frequently is keeping me from getting my work done. I have this horrible habit of not being able to put a story aside once I've started it…

As I said before, there is a good chance I'll be adding occasional one-shots set in this universe, so keep an eye out for them -- they'll be labeled as "Courtship Universe" stories in summary.

For all the Sango/Miroku fans out there, I'm sorry I couldn't indulge you but I felt it would be too much to cover in this story. Also, I'm not totally comfortable with their interaction. I'm an S/M fan, don't get me wrong, I just don't know that I could do their paring justice. Not yet, anyway.

Citrus… okay, so there isn't all that much (you should have seen version 1 -- that practically passed with a G rating!) I'm sorry, I love reading it myself but I have to be careful to follow the website rules and I don't want any of my underage readers getting into trouble either. There's some steamy parts I think, but outright dirty stuff will have to wait until I have my website up and running.

I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers for the encouragement over the last couple of weeks, it really means a lot to me.

And now, the final chapter.

****

Chapter Seventeen

"Inuyasha? Our bedroom is the other way."

"We're not going to our room," he smirked, a facetious glint in his expression.

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed. "So then where--"

"It's a surprise, koibito. Just wait."

With that request, Kagome snuggled into his inner kimono, a soft white cotton that was deliciously infused with his masculine scent. The air became suddenly cold, telling her that they were outdoors. What was he up to?

All at once they stopped, and Inuyasha gently let her down in the center of a garden surrounded by high stone walls.

"Where are we?"

Taking her hand, Inuyasha tugged her lightly toward the center of the garden, past small fountains and fragrant rose bushes. "This garden is a well-kept secret. I wasn't even sure I was going to tell you about it, at least not so soon."

"Why the mystery?"

Inuyasha stopped, barely hearing her words, and turned her around before covering her eyes with a clawed hand. "Close your eyes, koibito. I want to wait until we're there."

Confident that she was unable to see, he turned her around again and guided her around a bend to stand in a small clearing.

"Okay, open your eyes."

She had to blink a little, allowing her eyes to adjust to the lowered light level. This portion of the garden was shadowed from even the moon by a very large tree.

"That looks like--"  


"The Goshinboku," he finished for her. "This tree doesn't have any special powers or anything, but it's the tree my father proposed to my mother under. Maybe a poor substitute for you, I don't know, but I thought it might make you happy."

A broad grin swept across her face and she jumped at the hanyou, throwing her arms around his neck. "Arigato, Inuyasha. I love this surprise."

He folded her in a warm bear hug, pulling her closer to his heart. They relaxed like that for a moment, mostly to give Kagome a chance to finish waking up from her nap.

"Inuyasha, there's something I have to tell you," she whispered.

"Mm?"

"I'm not going to be a miko after tonight."

Frowning in confusion, Inuyasha pushed back a bit to meet her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"During the mating ceremony, the temple miko gave me this look… and I realized what she was thinking. I can't be a shrine maiden if I'm not a maiden. Already I've lost some of my powers just being bonded to you. Once we consummate this, I will probably lose the rest of my powers. I don't know if I will be able to detect jewel shards anymore. I -- I'm sorry."

An errant tear slipped down her cheek which Inuyasha quickly brushed away, his eyes widening in concern. "Kagome, you don't honestly think that matters to me anymore?"

"I know you want the jewel--"

"I DID want the jewel," he corrected. "Now my only concern is destroying Naraku. I can do that with the shards or without them. Please don't think of it anymore."

"H-hai." She sniffled away the rest of the tears, trying to put a smile on her face again.

Inuyasha smirked at her. "Even without priestess powers, you'll always be my miko."

She laughed at this. "And you will always be my evil demon."

Suddenly, Kagome found herself being shot up into the large tree and rested on one of its wider branches. 

"Sure about that, Kagome? We demons are pretty ruthless with meddling priestesses."

He was playing with her! Kagome stepped back to gain balance from the trunk of the tree. "Don't be so cocky, hanyou. This miko can kick your butt any time she wants."

"Prove it, wench."

She leapt at him, almost knocking him off the branch. Instead, he wrapped one arm around the branch and another around his mate as she pushed his shoulders down and stared into his eyes. 

"See?"

"I'm a little scared," he playfully admitted. "Now just what kind of torturous punishment do you have in mind, miko?"

"Well first there's the disrobing spell," she drawled, moving her hands from his shoulders to tug at the opening of his inner kimono. It took only seconds to push back, especially since her 'spell' apparently included enchanting the victim to help with the removal.

When the garment fell to the ground below, Inuyasha looked up at her again. "What if this demon can erect a barrier and send your spell back to you?" Grateful that she hadn't taken the time to correctly tie her kimono, he began deftly removing it from her body, this time completely disrobing her.

"You're sure no one will find us here?" Kagome was suddenly shy, glancing around the garden.

"No one. That's the other reason I chose this place."

"Good," she grinned. "I'd hate to have someone rescue you from this next enchantment, hanyou."

With that threat, she dipped down and crushed her lips to his, resulting in a paroxysm of desire in Inuyasha. He started groaning in time to her own keening noises. Anyone daring to interrupt this time would have easily met with death, though not necessarily at the hanyou's hands.

He'd had enough of the submissive role. Before she knew what was happening Kagome found herself somehow flipped so that her back was now against the branch. She was breathless with both the shock of his movement and the hunger in her lover's eyes.

In a low, heavy voice Inuyasha growled into her ear, "still think you can overpower me, miko?" He nipped at the lobe for emphasis, following the bite with a loving lick before trailing more down her neck.

Words. Kagome knew that sentences had words. Now what were they… Oh… Who gave a damn anyway?

"That's what I thought."

He was being arrogant again!

Pushing away any last shreds of prudishness she might have had, Kagome reached down and grabbed him in response.

"KAGOME!"

"What?" She looked at him innocently, batting her eyelashes. She almost worried that she'd hurt him but his fiery look roared into an inferno, telling her otherwise.

"That's it little miko," he scolded, bringing her arms up behind her head and holding them fast with one hand. "You've asked for it now."

She'd started to laugh at the threat when he began moving lower down her body. "What are you …"

"OH! Inuyasha!"

"Like that, do you?"

Again words escaped her. She merely nodded, grasping firmly onto the branch below her and fighting to stay inside herself. The sensations were awe-inspiring but she knew he needed her more than he was letting on.

"Onegai, Inuyasha, come up to me…"

With a last reverent kiss to her lower regions he obeyed her command and slid his way up to make eye contact. Her glazed expression encouraged Inuyasha, and he quickly moved to rid himself of the last vestiges of clothing.

They were bare to the stars and, at last, each other.

"Be with me?" Kagome's voice was soft, pleading.

Inuyasha kissed her again, positioning himself between her legs, and they became one.

* * * * * 

"I wonder if they're still alive?"

Miroku winked at the taijiya as they passed the master suite on the way to breakfast. "Well the servants have been dropping off dinner for someone for the last three nights," he mused.

Sango blushed.

They'd almost made it to the dining room when the door to the aforementioned suite opened and two laughing, snuggling figures stepped out into the hallway.

Sango quickly pulled Miroku into the dining hall, effectively colliding with him.

"Ahem."

"Gomen." She blushed and quickly stepped back.

They rushed to their seats, pasting innocent expressions on their faces when Inuyasha and Kagome entered the room.

"Ohayou, minna!" Kagome's cheerful voice rang out in the hall as she and her mate took seats opposite their friends.

"Ohayou, Kagome-chan," Sango replied. _You're going to tell me everything,_ her eyes told the young woman.

Miroku was sending his own secret message to Inuyasha. _Three days? You old dog, you!_

Inuyasha growled at him.

The room took on a sudden chill as Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway, followed by a bouncing Rin and scampering Jaken.

"Good morning, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha greeted his brother, wondering just how back-to-normal things were.

At first the demon lord ignored him, coming to sit a few cushions away. "Good morning, Inuyasha, Kagome."

The entire room gaped at him, except Rin who simply beamed.

"I trust you are feeling well, Brother?"

Inuyasha was almost too stunned to respond, but nodded. "And you…?"  


"Fine. The poison has completely dissipated." He took the bowl of rice that was offered and began arranging his meal on the small table. "You've decided to join us for breakfast today," he noted.

"Yes, there is business to take care of," Inuyasha responded. "We'll be faced with the nekoyoukai any day now, and I'm sure there are duties you'll need me to perform."

"The nekoyoukai retreated, Inuyasha-sama," Jaken piped up.

"What?"

"When their military leaders discovered that Sesshoumaru was healed, they knew they couldn't stand a chance against both of Inutaisho's sons and backed off their plan."

Inuyasha stole a glance at the inuyoukai beside him, verifying the truth of Jaken's story.

"So there's no attack."

"No."

A great sigh of relief left him and he smiled at Kagome. "That will make this much easier, koibito."

"Hai," she agreed.

Sesshoumaru failed to hide the curiosity this exchange piqued. "Make what easier?"

"Kagome must return to her time. She's been gone almost two weeks now and I believe I made a promise to her mother."

"You plan to return with her," the demon observed.

Together the pair nodded. "She's marked with my blood now. It's not safe for her to go so far alone." Inuyasha stood from his breakfast and came to kneel before his brother. He reached down to his side and untied Tenseiga, presenting it to Sesshoumaru in the same manner it had been presented to him at the taikanshiki. "I believe this belongs to you, Onii-san."

"You are relinquishing your claim to the Western Lands?"

Inuyasha nodded solemnly. "You've maintained them well in the years since father's death. I will gladly take over again if necessary, but I can best serve our people by hunting down the evil in this world instead of sitting behind a desk. You make a far better nobleman than me, Sesshoumaru."

The older inuyoukai didn't disagree, and accepted the katana wordlessly. After strapping it around his kimono, he looked over the table at Inuyasha again. "You will always have a home here, Inuyasha-onii-san. You and your mate." He looked meaningfully at Kagome.

"Arigato, Sesshoumaru-sama," she thanked him warmly.

The moment passed, Inuyasha stood and walked back to his forgotten meal. 

"So when do we leave," Miroku asked the hanyou.

"After breakfast. Myouga says there's a wolf tribe running rampant just south of here."

"Another Shikon shard?"

"No doubt."

Kagome smiled as her three longtime companions discussed their plans. No more hot baths or plush futons. No five-course dinners, freshly pressed kimonos or lavish parties. Only the wide open wilderness, sooty campfires and an arrogant hanyou leaping from tree to tree with her on his back.

And that sounded just right.

~ The End ~

* * * * *

More vocab:

Ohayou -- "Morning!"

Minna -- everyone


End file.
